Where to watch ceremonies honoring veterans on Memorial Day in the Sacramento area
Skydivers and speakers were planned for Sierra View Memorial Park near Marysville; dignitaries and a community concert band were to be among those featured at the Roseville Cemetery on Berry Street. On any other Memorial Day, droves of volunteers would plant flags by the hundreds on the grounds of Elk Grove Cemetery.
In a spring so dramatically changed by the coronavirus, solemn remembrances across the Sacramento region this Memorial Day are being held instead via livestream or posted to social media for a grateful community socially distant but honoring the fallen together. These are a sample from around the capital region:
Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, Dixon
Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon will hold a wreath laying ceremony Monday morning. The ceremony is not open to the public, per the state’s stay-at-home order, but will be recorded and posted to the National Cemetery Administration’s website.
The cemetery, 5810 Midway Road is open sunrise to sunset Memorial Day for visitors to pay respect to loved ones, said cemetery director William Pickard, but visitors must refrain from gathering in large groups. Groups of 10 or fewer with social distancing are permitted. Information is also available at cem.va.gov and (707) 693-2460.
East Lawn Cemeteries
East Lawn is presenting an online event 10 a.m. Monday for its locations in East Sacramento, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove and South Sacramento.
From the East Lawn website: “We understand the difficulty and uncertainty that surrounds us today but one thing that is certain is the need to recognize and celebrate the heroes who helped protect this country.”
Information: eastlawn.com
Fair Oaks Cemetery
Fair Oaks Cemetery District’s Memorial Day online event was streamed Saturday on Facebook Live and is available on the district’s Facebook page, said the district’s Misty Shaw.
The ceremony included a benediction and prayer, an exchange of flags, a bagpiper and the playing of taps.
The cemetery, 7780 Olive St., is open to visitors 8 a.m. to dusk.
Information: fairoakscemetery.com or visit the district’s Facebook page
Placerville
In lieu of live Memorial Day ceremonies, a pre-recorded ceremony will air at 11 a.m. Monday on Sierra Community Access Television Channel 2 and on several Facebook pages including the El Dorado County Veterans Monument page.
The recorded event features the presentation of the colors, recognition of the armed services, a wreath presentation and a veterans’ honor guard.
In a prepared statement, Gary Campbell, president of El Dorado County Veterans Association, said the uncertain end date of the state’s stay-at-home order combined with concerns about putting seniors at risk “made it imperative that we find another way to honor our nation’s fallen warriors.”
The Veterans Monument grounds, 360 Fair Lane, remain open Memorial Day, but visitors are asked to maintain 10 feet of social distance.
Information: eldoradocountyveterans.org
Roseville
Roseville American Legion, Alyn W. Butler Post 169, has posted Memorial Day-themed videos to its website in lieu of a live ceremony — including “The History of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Memorial Amphitheater” and “American Legion memorials in Paris” — as well as tributes to fallen military women and veterans of the Vietnam War.
Information: rosevilleamericanlegion.com
This story was originally published May 23, 2020 at 8:25 AM.
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