Published: May 21, 2009 11:51 pm      

Memorial Day 2009 schedule: Schoharie County

Jefferson

The Memorial Day parade in Jefferson will start at the school at 1 p.m. Friday, May 29, and stop at Evergreen Cemetery at 1:30 p.m. The Jefferson Central School band will play, and the Stamford American Legion Post Colorguard. Services will be conducted by American Legion Post 1379.

Middleburgh

The annual Middleburgh Rotary Memorial Day celebration in the Memorial Park on upper Main Street will be at 10 a.m. Monday. The speaker will be David Lyon, retired commander, U.S. Coast Guard.

Refreshments will be provided by the Century Club and the Women’s Cooperative Club immediately after the ceremony.

Richmondville

The American Legion Memorial day service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Village Memorial Park. The guest speaker will be Harrison Moot, retired lieutenant colonel of the U.S. Army. The American Legion Post 249 will sponsor the event.

Sharon Springs

On Monday, Sharon Springs American Legion Post 1269 will conduct the annual Memorial Day ceremony in front of the central school, located on Route 20 in the Village of Sharon Springs.

In addition to the traditional ceremony, this year’s program will honor the five former Sharon Springs Central School students who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country during World War II or the Korean War. Memorial monuments will be placed on either side of the existing World War I monument.

One will be dedicated to the memory of Sgt. Walter D. Sall, killed in an airplane crash near Montgomery, Ala., on Dec. 5, 1942; Pvt. Howard C. Slater, killed in action in Italy on Feb. 19, 1944; Lt. Andrew C. Empie, a fighter pilot listed originally as missing in action and later confirmed as killed in action over Lae, New Guinea, on Sept. 29, 1944; and Cpl. Laurence D. Stephens, who died in Holland on Oct. 29, 1944, of wounds received in combat.

The other monument will be dedicated to Marine Cpl. Richard A. Buttery, killed in action on June 3, 1951, near Yanggu, Korea.

The families of these men have been invited to attend the ceremony, except for Empie, who has no known immediate family members.

A parade will begin from the parking lot on the east side of the school at 10:30 a.m. and end in front of the school. The ceremony on the school’s front lawn will begin at about 11 a.m.

The program is scheduled to include a Marine Corps color guard from Fox Company 2/25, the local school band, a speaker, placing of wreaths, a firing party reflecting the tradition of the military 21-gun salute, military fly-over and a flag presentation honoring the five fallen servicemen.

For more information, call the American Legion Post 1269 Commander David C. Costello at (518) 284-2368 or the town of Sharon offices at (518) 284-3010.