Granville to hold 151st annual Memorial Day parade, commemoration May 27

May 27 marks the 151st year that Granville has formally commemorated Memorial Day, honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation. American Legion Post 398 invites all area veterans to join the annual parade and march with the veterans to Maple Grove for the commemoration.

The events will start with brief memorial ceremonies and rifle salutes at several outlying area cemeteries conducted by American Legion Post 398. The final ceremony at Granville’s Old Colony Burying Ground Cemetery will be performed by the Hocking Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution at 9:30.

The formal events will kick off with the traditional parade, which will assemble at the corner of Broadway and Main Street. The parade will step off at 10:40 a.m. and march to the Maple Grove Cemetery. The formal program will start at 11 a.m.

This year’s ceremony will include a flag folding and presentation to the family of Senior Airman Brian Kody Johnson, who gave his life in service to his nation on Nov. 29 in an Osprey mishap in Japan. The Granville Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will also present flowers to the family.

The Granville High School Marching Band will play patriotic music for the parade and will be joined by the Land of Legend Chorus to perform the music for the program. The invocation and benediction will be delivered by Pastor Tom Pound of Spring Hills Baptist Church. Granville’s scout troops and students from Granville High School and Granville Christian Academy will also participate in the event.

This year’s speaker is Jeff Gill, a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio. He and his wife, Joyce Meredith, came to Licking County first in 1989, and they moved to Granville with their son, Chris, at the end of 2004. Gill has an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps Reserve and is an ordained minister. He writes regular columns for both the Newark Advocate and Granville Sentinel as well as The Reporting Project of Denison’s Journalism Program. He is also a mediator for the Licking County Juvenile Court. As one of the founders of the Licking County Coalition for Housing, Gill continues to be active in advocacy and organizing around homelessness and housing in the area. He has chaired the village Board of Zoning and Appeals for many years. Gill’s most visible community involvement is with Scouting, where he is currently active with Cub Scout Pack 3.

Following Gill’s address, American Legion Post 398 of Granville will fire the traditional rifle salute, which will be followed by the playing of Taps. The flag, which is traditionally flown at half-staff during the morning hours of Memorial Day to honor our deceased veterans, will be raised to full staff.

Information submitted byAmerican Legion Post 398.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville to hold 151st Memorial Day parade, commemoration May 27