Memorial Day 2023: A Service of Remembrance

The Oak Harbor Lions Club and American Legion George Morris Post 129 team up to remember Memorial Day this year with the Oak Harbor Lions’ fifth annual Service of Remembrance. The ceremony at Oak Harbor’s Maple Leaf Cemetery, 1961 NE 16th Ave, begins promptly at 10 am, with doors at 9 am. All community members are welcome to join us in person for our traditional and reverent Service of Remembrance, or online for our live broadcast on the Oak Harbor Lions’ YouTube Channel.

Keynote speaker Captain Eric Hanks, Commanding Officer, NAS Whidbey Island; Colors will be presented by OHHS NJROTC, ORION Sea Cadets, and Sons of the American Revolution with Patriot Guard Riders at attention. Live music by local artists and the Scottish American Military Society. A traditional VFW, Legion, and Fleet wreath laying ceremony is included. The ceremony is scheduled to conclude with NAS Whidbey Island Search and Rescue flyover.

Annually, more than 450 people attend the ceremony at Maple Leaf in person. When parking, please look for lot attendants and plan on walking to the event space. Golf cart escorts will be available to those who need assistance getting to the site.

In addition to the Maple Leaf Service, Sunnyside Cemetery, 90 Cemetery Rd, Coupeville will have a short, traditional wreath laying service held at 1:00 pm with VFW, Legion, and Fleet. An Open House Reception will follow at American Legion around 2 pm.

Community volunteers wanted: Saturday, May 27 and Tuesday, May 30 at 10 am, at Sunnyside and Maple Leaf cemeteries concurrently to assist American Legion with Flag-In. Sign-up not required. Questions, please contact American Legion 360-675-2411. Join Legionnaire volunteers supported by Sons of the American Revolution to place and then retrieve flags at veteran graves throughout both cemeteries.

According to Event Coordinator Kelly Davidson of Oak Harbor Lions Club, “Memorial Day is a relevant and somber holiday that gives us the opportunity to recognize veterans’ sacrifices; our event supports those veterans and their families, who are grieving our nation’s heroes that sacrificed their all for our freedoms. All attendees to our service (in-person and online), will leave our event feeling they have honored our nation’s heroes; and our youth participating will learn the value and importance of remembering our heritage through traditional, reverent reflection and dedication to mission. Since our first Service of Remembrance in 2019, our audience, sponsors, and participating organizations list has grown four-fold. Our community stands with our veteran neighbors and friends as we reflect on the difficulties of grief, which we hope to salve for our service members and their families with our continued dedication to hosting this important event, to honor those loved ones who sacrificed their all.”

Proceeds from the event allow us to meet pressing Veteran needs in our community. Lion members thank everyone who contribute to this important work – you are truly helping Lions make a difference in our community. Interested in sponsoring our ceremony? Red, White, Blue, and Star level sponsorships are available. Donations of $250 or more may be made in memory or in honor of your special Veteran. Donations received by May 21 will be recognized in printed materials. Donations can be made online at https://ohlions.org/MemorialDay.

For event questions or donation assistance, please contact Kelly Davidson at kelly@davidsonevents.com or 360-682-8613.

The Oak Harbor Lions Club has approximately thirty members and meets on Wednesdays at 7 pm at Elks Club. Lions are groups who identify needs within the community and work together to fulfill those needs. For more information or to get involved with the Oak Harbor Lions Club, please contact Bobbi Lornson at 360-320-7066.

About the Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is the largest service club organization in the world. More than 1.4 million members in over 48,000 clubs are serving in 200 countries and geographic areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions have strengthened local communities through hands-on service and humanitarian projects, and we extend our service impact through the generous support of our Lions Clubs International Foundation. We are focused on supporting vision, the environment, childhood cancer, hunger, diabetes, and other pressing humanitarian needs to help address some of the biggest challenges facing humanity. For more information about Lions Clubs International, visit lionsclubs.org.

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