OTTAWA – For the first time, Monday morning’s annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial at the Franklin County Courthouse in downtown Ottawa. The ceremony, which is 10 a.m. Monday, is a combined effort of local veterans groups, said Ottawa VFW commander Gary Ross. The ceremony will include many of the tradition elements of past services at Highland Cemetery but will include the laying of a wreath at the memorial, he said. Also new is a field of flags – one flag for every name on the memorial, Ross said. The memorial contains the names of service personnel from Franklin County killed or listed a missing in recent and 20th century wars. The flags will be arranged on the courthouse lawn in the shape of a flag, Ross said. On Saturday, veterans groups and Boy and Girl Scout groups will continue the annual tradition of placing small flags on the graves of every veteran in every Franklin County cemetery. That amounts to 1,900 flags, he said.
Friday, May 25, noon
