Memorial Day ceremony set for Saturday at Veterans Park

May 26—This weekend, American flags will line local highways and adorn the graves of honored service members, as local veterans prepare for Saturday's Memorial Day observance ceremony in Cullman.

The annual observance gathering will take place at the Cullman Veterans Memorial Park, located at the entrance to Sportsman Lake Park near the Cullman County Fairgrounds. Featured speakers at this year's ceremony will be Cullman County Commission chairman Jeff Clemons and Alabama state senator Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman).

"They'll be speaking as representatives of our citizens, to honor the fallen on Memorial Day," said local VFW member Ken Brown, who helps coordinate the group's Memorial Day programming each year.

Brown said there are approximately 7,000 veterans currently living in Cullman County, and the annual observance offers older generations the opportunity to pass their appreciation on to their children, while commemorating the sacrifice of service members both in Cullman County and across America.

"It's not just for veterans; it's also for the public to have a way to honor the fallen," said Brown. "It's an educational opportunity as well; a chance for you to be able to bring your kids and grandkids and impart to them that freedom isn't free — that it costs something, and there are people who pay that sacrifice. We really encourage people to come out and teach their kids about what that means, and to give a little gratitude to those who have served."

The ceremony will also mark the commemoration of two new features at the park: a stone marker and "Never Forget" rose garden, both contributed by the Holly Pond Lions Club, to honor the memory of all of America's unknown fallen service members. The Memorial Day observation begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, and though the occasion is somber, Brown said everyone in the community is welcome to come as they are.

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