From live music and 5K races to flag ceremonies and tributes, area communities are preparing events this Memorial Day weekend to honor fallen service members.
Columbus
This morning, Columbus Air Force Base hosted a Memorial Day Ceremony featuring a rededication of its Richard “Gene” Smith Plaza at the base’s headquarters. Lt. Col. Smith was a former prisoner of war during the Vietnam War and served the base in several roles, including as an instructor pilot, commander of the 50th Flying Training Squadron and director of operations.
Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau will kick off Memorial Day weekend Friday at 9 a.m. with a flag placement ceremony at Sandfield Cemetery held in conjunction with local posts of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, CVB Tourism Director Frances Glenn said.
Following the flag placement, at 11 a.m. outside the Lowndes County Courthouse, county officials will dedicate a new marble marker with the names of 14 World War I veterans, all but two of who are Black, who were omitted from the original monument built in 1933.
“I think (the dedication is) very important,” Glenn said. “… It’s about telling the whole history and honoring all those (who) gave their lives during World War I from our county.”
The dedication will also include a performance by Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science junior Grayson Garrick of New Hope as Pvt. Charles A. Williams, a Black infantryman born in Lowndes County who served during the Civil War.
The performance is meant to showcase the importance of Black veterans’ service in conflicts ranging from the Revolutionary War to the modern day, MSMS history teacher Chuck Yarborough wrote in a text to The Dispatch.
From 4-7 p.m., the CVB will host Traditions, Taste and Tunes for the second year at the Riverwalk stage. The event will feature live music from the Artistik Band, food trucks and a flyover by Columbus Air Force Base.
“I think it’s a great event,” Glenn said. “… Columbus is the inspiration for Memorial Day, so that’s a neat way to celebrate our history, and (to) think about those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.”
On Saturday, events begin at 8 a.m. with the Kiwanis Memorial Weekend 5K and 10K Benefit Run. The races start and end in the parking lot of the CVB office at 117 Third St. S., behind the Tennessee Williams Home and Welcome Center.
Registration for the 5K costs $30 while the 10K costs $40 and is available on the Kiwanis Club of Columbus website. Proceeds from the races will support initiatives including My Book of Lowndes County, the Heritage Academy Key Club and the Kiwanis Foundation.
Also at 8 a.m., flags will be placed on veterans’ graves at Friendship Cemetery in conjunction with the local post of the American Legion.
At 10 a.m., after the flag placement at the cemetery, there will be a ceremony honoring the sacrifices of local veterans and presenting the historical significance of the city to Memorial Day, Glenn said.
The event will feature a performance from the Suzuki Strings of Columbus and remarks by Mayor Stephen Jones and Rufus Ward, a Columbus-based historian.
Starkville
Flag placements will be held at Odd Fellows Cemetery and Memorial Garden Park at about 8 a.m. Monday and will be led by the local American Legion and VFW posts.
The Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s Military Affairs Committee will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday outside the Oktibbeha County Chancery Courthouse, said U.S. Army veteran Jeff Donald, co-chair of the military affairs committee.
Speakers for the event will include Mayor Lynn Spruill, Board of Supervisors President Marvell Howard, Mississippi State University Executive Vice Provost Peter Ryan and keynote speaker Col. Kenneth Anthony, a member of the U.S. Army National Guard.
Boy Scout Troop 14 and Girl Scout Troop 142 will assist with presenting the colors, bearing wreaths and raising the flag. The Starkville High School choir will perform the national anthem, and a bugler will perform “Taps,” Donald said.
The event will also include reading the names of 92 Oktibbeha County veterans who died in service since World War I, inscribed on the monument outside the courthouse.
Donald, who has organized the event since 2004, said he appreciates getting to highlight the importance of Memorial Day to area students and children who may not understand the gravity of the holiday.
“We’ve always wanted … to let (students) hear, see, and understand what Memorial Day really is about,” Donald said. “(It’s) not just being out of school and going swimming. It’s about trying to remember those who didn’t come back. I served 30 years in the army, and some of my friends didn’t come back, so you don’t want to forget.”
West Point
City Administrator Randy Jones said he will host his annual Memorial Day program at noon May 30 at City Hall.
The program will include free food, remarks by Mayor Rod Bobo and a 22-minute video recognizing Clay County veterans who have passed away. Jones said the list of names includes more than 1,900 names, with about 25 names added within the last year.
“There’s almost 2,000 names on it now,” Jones said. “The ones in gold are the ones that were killed during combat (and) the other names in white are the ones that returned honorably and have since passed away. It’s a nice program.”
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