An honor guard that will be a combination of the Fairfield VFW Post No. 1069 and Liberty/West Chester American Legion Post No. 681 will also be part of the dedication.
The memorial took nearly a decade to plan, develop and fundraise.
Here are events happening on Memorial Day:
BUTLER COUNTY
FAIRFIELD
A parade steps off at 10 a.m. May 29 from Express Scripts and will feature veterans groups, military units, the Fairfield High School Marching Band, community groups and organizations, the Fairfield Police Dept. and Fairfield Fire and Paramedic units. A band will be performing patriotic music and other favorites at Veterans Memorial Park starting at 10 a.m. The parade concludes with a brief ceremony to pay tribute to veterans, both past and present, at Veterans Memorial Park. Guest speakers include representatives from local veterans groups and City of Fairfield Mayor Mitch Rhodus.
HAMILTON
Hamilton’s American Legion Post 138 will conduct a wreath laying ceremony in front of the Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument building in Hamilton at 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day, May 29. The ceremony will honor all departed Butler County veterans. The Hamilton High School JNROTC will perform the wreath laying ceremony, accompanied by honor guards from American Legion Post 138, AMVETS Post 1983, DAV Chapter 15, Hamilton Fire Dept., Hamilton Police Dept., and the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. AMVETS Post 1983 will perform a 21-gun salute to departed veterans, followed by Taps.
A 17STRONG Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10 a.m. and travel to Greenwood Cemetery. Line up will begin at 9 a.m. on Monument Ave. (Fitton Center for Creative Arts). The parade will depart at 10 a.m. to travel to Greenwood Cemetery.
MIDDLETOWN
The city’s Memorial Day Parade kicks off at 10 a.m. May 29 from Smith Park and travels along Verity Parkway and ends at Woodside Cemetery, followed by a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. The grand marshal is Ret. Sgt. John Kahne, who served in the U.S. Army from 1966-69.
Kahne, 75, was deployed to Vietnam in 1966. He was wounded on June 4, 1967 and awarded a Purple Heart and is a Wounded Warrior. He’s a member of local VWF Post, American Legion and local Social Command.
WEST CHESTER TWP.
Memorial Day ceremonies in West Chester Twp. are organized each year by local veterans groups VFW Post 7696 and American Legion Post 681.
On May 29, a morning Memorial Day Parade makes its way down Cincinnati-Dayton Road through the historic Olde West Chester business district to West Chester Cemetery (a.k.a. Brookside Cemetery) on West Chester Road for a special remembrance ceremony.
While the parade is in motion, members of the West Chester ~ Union Twp. Historical Society read aloud the names of all veterans interred at the cemetery where 800 are laid to rest, including 100 Civil War veterans and one Revolutionary War veteran.
Drivers should expect Cincinnati Dayton Road to close between about 10 and 11 a.m. for the parade.
WARREN COUNTY
LEBANON
A Memorial Day parade begins at 11 a.m., traveling north on Broadway, turning left to travel west on Silver Street and finishing at the entrance of the Lebanon Cemetery.
MASON
A parade begins at 10 a.m. in Downtown Mason and travels along Ohio 42, heading south on Mason Montgomery Road and ending at the Mason Municipal Center. A Memorial Day ceremony follows inside at 11 a.m.
SPRINGBORO
The annual Memorial Day Parade will be hat 2 p.m. May 29 on South Main Street. The parade is sponsored by the city of Springboro and Clearcreek Twp.
This is a walking parade, with the exception of military vehicles. Groups and individuals interested in participating should meet in the area behind River Valley Credit Union adjacent to Florence Drive at 1:30 p.m. and check in with the parade marshal.
After the parade, a brief ceremony is set for Wade Field, with complimentary refreshments and picnic fare following.
For more information, call (513) 256-4929.
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