If you see little American Flags planted along the median on Collier Boulevard, you know the time is near for the annual Memorial Day ceremony scheduled for Monday, May 30th at the Marco Island Cemetery at 11:00 am. The ceremony is conducted by the Marco Island Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 6370. Veterans from all Wars will be attending including vets from WWII up to our current conflicts. A community address will be presented by Commander Lee Rubenstein. The Marco Island Strummers will be playing with Anna Schilling and Craig Greusel singing. Prayers will be offered by local clergy. City and county leaders will be in attendance. Police and Fire Departments, Civil Air Patrol and even local Boy Scouts will be present. A flyover is a popular part of the event. Audience should bring a chair or blanket for their comfort.
This will be the last year the ceremony is held at this location. On November 11th at 11:00 am a formal ribbon cutting event is planned for the new Veteran’s Memorial at Veteran’s Community Park. From that point on, such ceremonies will take place there. Ground breaking for the memorial took place recently and construction is expected to be complete over the summer. The proceeds from the sale of benches and flagpoles for each branch of the military helped fund the memorial. Pavers of varying sizes, coined Patriot Pavers, are still available for purchase. The design for the memorial includes a large star at the center with five medallions between the points. Like the flagpoles, the medallions will signify each branch of the military and are available for purchase. Each is $5000 and will include a nearby paver for personal dedication. The fundraising committee will be available at the Memorial Day Ceremony to answer questions.
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