The Advance spent Memorial Day at parades and services around the Blissfield area. Here's a chronological look at how we saw Memorial Day in Palmyra, Deerfield, Blissfield and Riga.
8:44 a.m. -- Pancake breakfast in Palmyra

    Every year, the Palmyra Firefighters work the griddle for the pancake breakfast at the firehall. Pictured above are Captain Paul Rohlan, Kathy DeCatur, and firefighter Derek DeCatur. They were among the volunteers who arrived at the station at 6 a.m. to begin preparing the breakfast.
9:07 a.m. -- The Palmyra Memorial Day Parade begins, just a little late.
    Here's the video:
    This is my fourth year covering Memorial Day in the Blissfield area. One of the more striking images I see each year is among the first things I see. And that's the start of the Palmyra parade, with the white church in the background.

    The shot of the veterans leading the marchers down the street is always marred, somewhat, by the police car escorting the parade. Without fail, the best decorated bicycles every year seem to be in Palmyra.

    With the parade having started a bit late, I decide against following the veterans to the bridge for the casting of the flowers. The last two years, I wasn't able to get to Deerfield in time for the parade. So at about 9:17 a.m., I jumped in the car and headed for Deerfield Village.
9:28 a.m. -- Arrival in Deerfield.
    It's a nice thing to see so many people in downtown Deerfield, which has been hurt badly by the recession. One of the first things you notice is the newly remodeled Deerfield Village offices. Then you see all the people standing along the freshly remodeled downtown streetscape. There are no vacancies on the nice new downtown benches. Downtown Deerfield badly needs private investment. But credit the town's taxpayers and village government for doing what they can to make Deerfield a good place to business. Here's a look at the parade as it comes down Carey Street:

    Once again, the view is marred by the police escort. But the streetscape has certainly improved the Carey Street vista. Here's a video of the Deerfield Memorial Day Parade. Unfortunately, there is a woman's foot and part of my camera bag visible the entire time.
9:43 a.m. -- Parade arrives on the bridge
    After the parade, there was a ceremony on the newly rebuilt Rodesiler bridge. It's an impressive bridge, and it provides one of the area's most gorgeous views of the River Raisin. It's a shame the new bridge doesn't have a sidewalk. From the edge of the bridge, Mrs. Rowe casts flowers into the River Raisin, as a remembrance for soldiers lost at sea.

    A prayer is said. The rifleguard fires three shots into the air, and members of the bands play T.A.P.S. The crowd is led to the American Legion hall where wreaths were laid after the crowd was addressed by Pastor Rodgers, a Temperance area minister who served in Vietnam. Once again, there is a remembrance.

    Above is a picture of Deerfield High School musician Lexie Forche planing T.A.P.S on the trumpet. I've covered Memorial Day for four years, and each time, I believe, I've taken a picture of her playing T.A.P.S. It's become one of my Memorial Day traditions. She gets better every year. I believe Forche a junior, so I'll get another shot next year. By the way, the entire Deerfield band, under the direction of new music teacher Heidi Fethers, is sounding better than I've ever heard it.
10:26 a.m. -- Arrive in Blissfield
    I am headed for the office, and already Bob Beckey and the DPW crew have blocked off half of U.S. 223 for the parade. People are lined up along U.S. 223 waiting for the parade to begin. I recharge my batteries, check my e-mail and then head back out to take pictures. Somehow, I've managed to change the setting on my camera to manual, which means under the bright sun, I am taking pictures using settings designed to snap shots in the kitchen of the Palmyra fire hall. I begin chatting with longtime police veteran Sgt. Jim Novak and fail to realize my settings are changed. The next 80 pictures I take are worthless. But I did manage to touch up this picture of the band as it marched down U.S. 223 toward Blissfield's famous three bridges.

    As you can see, things are a bit bright. By the way, kudos to the band, yet again. Just six days after impressing the heck out of hundreds of people during the collage concert, the band was back in marching band form. They played at the parades in Palmyra and Blissfield, and also at the Memorial Day Program in Riga Cemetery. And, they'll be in action again Friday during graduation ceremonies. These guys and girls know how to finish what they start.
    At the bridge, the rifleguard volleyed three shots in the air:
    Following the ceremony, the parade continued to the cemetery. I was able to catch up with a few the parade entrants again on U.S. 223.

    As you can see, the parade was a family affair.

    Do you think you'll see a smaller mini-bike on U.S. 223 this year? I don't.
11:37 a.m. -- Arrive at the office.
    I download as many images onto my hard drive as possible and do some regular Monday work.
2:00 p.m. -- Arrive at Riga Cemetery
    Every year, the ceremony at Riga Cemetery concludes our coverage. The program is much more somber than programs in the other communities.
    The program starts when the local Civil War re-enactors lead the high school marching band around the cemetery. By the way, history buff and Blissfield Middle School teacher Gary Holmes is creating one of the most beautiful flags I've ever seen.

    Amazing, isn't it?
    Every year, a youngster from Riga recites Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. This year, it was Miles DeNudt.
    The gusting wind is great for taking pictures of flags, but it's not so great for trying to capture audio on my recorder. So, to help you follow along at home, here's the text from Lincoln's famous address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

    As I was saying, the wind is great for pictures of flags:

    Former Hillsdale State Rep. Bruce Caswell gave the address to the crowd. With the crowd singing along, the high school band played America the Beautiful and God Bless America. The band also played the hymns of the various U.S. armed forces. Veterans of the armed forces stood and were cheered when their hymn was played. After a prayer, Scott Wilson, from Ann Arbor Pipe and Drums, peformed a stirring rendition of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes.


    The music reverberated through the cemetery, and moments later, the program ended.
   























































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