Northern Michigan honors the fallen on Memorial Day

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Northern Michigan communities marked Memorial Day with parades, ceremonies and more on a sunny and warm Monday.

In Petoskey, crowds lined up downtown to see the annual parade and remembrance ceremony in Pennsylvania Park.

The parade routed up East Mitchell Street, where members of the American Legion Post 194 followed a police escort. They were followed by the Petoskey Marching Band, who performed for the crowd. 

Immediately following the parade, many who lined the streets relocated to Pennsylvania Park, where a Memorial Day ceremony was hosted. The band played the National Anthem, and then the program continued. 

American Legion 194 Commander Steve Sutton and Adjutant Brian Morrison led the ceremony, which included reading the names and branches of soldiers from Emmet County who died while in active duty. 

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In front of the stage, there was a table set for one, representing the soldiers that are prisoners of war or are missing in action. The table was set with a white tablecloth, a rose, a candle and other symbolic items. 

The Missing Man Table is often included and represented at formal events and ceremonies. 

The program concluded with the shooting of the rifles, followed by the playing of Taps. 

In Harbor Springs, thousands turned out for the Memorial Day parade down Main Street. With a Color Guard, local veterans, marching bands and more taking part, the parade concluded at Zorn Park.

Following the parade, a memorial service hosted by the Smith-Hoover American Legion Post 281 was held in Zorn Park. The crowd listened solemnly as the names of local veterans who died in the line of service were read and Taps was played.

An Honor Guard shot a gun salute over the waters of Little Traverse Bay, and a United States Coast Guard helicopter performed a flyover near the end of the ceremony.

Later, another service took place at Lakeview Cemetery to honor veterans interred there.

Memorial Day, celebrated each year on the last Monday in May, is a day to honor and mourn U.S. military personnel who died while service.

— Contact Karly Graham atkgraham@petoskeynews.com. Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.