Oconto County's Memorial Day weekend to mix fun, music, rides with tributes

Memorial Day weekend has arrived, and Oconto County will have a mix of fun and remembrance to recognize the holiday.

Here is what is on tap:

Oconto Falls Memorial Weekend Celebration

Music, fireworks, cars and rides will be part of the unofficial first weekend of summer in Oconto Falls.

Carnival rides will be held at Memorial Park throughout the weekend, with wristband specials from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday and 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Steve Peterson will provide live music on Friday night from 7 to 11 p.m. with Diversion performing songs from the 1970s, '80s and '90s in the same timeslot on Saturday. Beachfront Avenue will perform Sunday during the car show, which runs from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Other activities include a fireworks display at dusk Saturday, a 5K Dash of Color Run/Walk at 9 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Field, a bean bag tournament at 4 p.m. Sunday. A softball tournament will be held throughout the weekend.

The annual Memorial Day parade will start at 12:30 p.m. on Maple Avenue, travel to Main Street and East Central Avenue, before ending at Memorial Field Park. This year's theme is "All Things Patriotic," and the grand marshals are Butch and Shirley Vorpahl.

For more information, go to the OF Memorial Weekend Celebration page on Facebook.

Memorial Day in Oconto

Meanwhile, the 2nd annual Memorial Day Picnic at Copperfest and American Legion Park in Oconto will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Monday.

Music will be performed by Eddies Crew while games will be offered for kids at cost of 25 cents per game. Hot dogs, hamburgers and brats will be available along with beer, soda and water.

Donations will benefit the Oconto County Veterans Memorial Corp., which seeks to honor all veterans with their names on the memorial wall.

The Memorial Day parade has been canceled due to the rain in forecast, according to the City of Oconto, while the Memorial Day observance has been moved to the Oconto High School gym. It will begin at 10 a.m. Monday.

Memorial Day tributes

American Legion Posts will take part in several Memorial Day ceremonies in Oconto County on Monday, as the public honors and mourns the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the armed forces.

Abrams – American Legion Post #523 takes part in four Memorial Day ceremonies, starting at Stiles at 9 a.m., Brookside for a 9:45 a.m., Riverview Cemetery in Little Suamico at 10:30 a.m., and at the cemetery in Sobieski at 11:15 a.m.

Gillett – American Legion Post #300 has a ceremony at its memorial lot and then sponsors a ham-and-bun community lunch at the Lone Oak Gun Club.

Lena – American Legion Post #342 will lead a Memorial Day parade at 10 a.m. with a service to follow at two cemeteries: Saint Charles and Pine Hill in Spruce.

Oconto – American Legion Post #74 will lead a Memorial Day parade out to Evergreen Cemetery; stepping off from City Hall on Main Street at 10 a.m. A service will be held at the cemetery at approximately 11 a.m. Oconto County Veterans Memorial will host its 2nd Annual Family Style Picnic from noon to 5 p.m. at Copper Fest grounds on Arbutus Street. Music and games for kids will be available, with food and beverages for sale.

Oconto Falls - American Legion Post #302 program begins at Woodlawn Cemetery at Oconto Falls at 10 a.m. Guest speaker is Vietnam Marine Corps veteran Chuck Wellens. At 11 a.m., the Oconto Falls Area Veterans Monument program will be held with the Memorial Day parade at noon. Veteran wagons will load in front of Salscheider’s Antique Bar & Liquor, 126 N. Main St., at 11:15 a.m.; all veterans are welcome to ride.

Suring – American Legion Post #283 will perform Military honors and a short ceremony at the following cemeteries: 9 a.m, Breed Union; 9:30 a.m., St. Michael’s; 10 a.m., St. John’s Hayes; 10:30 a.m., Pleasant Hill; 11 a.m., The Bay Nursing Home – Suring; 11:30 a.m., Trinity; and 12:45 p.m., Hickory.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Oconto County's Memorial Day weekend to mix music, rides with tributes