Portage veterans plan observances for Memorial Day

Diane Smith and Jeff Saunders, Ravenna Record-Courier
Updated ·4 min read
VFW Post 1055 Auxiliary member Beth Clark plays Taps outside on the Portage County Courthouse lawn in Ravenna for a short Memorial Day ceremony in 2022. This year's parade will make a stop at the veteran's memorial this year. Credit: Nick McLaughlin, Special to The Record-Courier
VFW Post 1055 Auxiliary member Beth Clark plays Taps outside on the Portage County Courthouse lawn in Ravenna for a short Memorial Day ceremony in 2022. This year's parade will make a stop at the veteran's memorial this year. Credit: Nick McLaughlin, Special to The Record-Courier

Communities around Portage County plan parades, ceremonies and other observances to mark Memorial Day over the weekend.

Here are some of the events area residents can attend:

Atwater: A parade will begin at noon Monday. Lineup begins on Bank Street. Enter from State Route 224 at 11 a.m.

Aurora: Aurora American Legion and VFW will honor those who died while serving in the U.S. military with a wreath laying ceremony, planned at 10:15 a.m. Monday at Veterans Memorial Park, 40 W. Garfield Road. A procession to Aurora Cemetery will follow.

Brimfield: A Memorial Day ceremony will take place at Restland Cemetery at 8 a.m. Monday at Restland Cemetery. The event will include songs, speakers a benediction and Taps. After the ceremony, attendees are encouraged to attend a pancake breakfast sponsored by the Brimfield Lions Club at Faith United Methodist Church, which takes place from 8 to 11 a.m.

Deerfield: A parade will begin at the Deerfield Fire Department, 9482 U.S. Route 224, at 9 a.m. Monday. The parade will proceed to Deerfield Cemetery off Route 224, where the Deerfield American Legion will conduct a small wreath-laying ceremony.

Edinburg: The township will host a parade, which steps off at 11 a.m. Monday from the township hall and proceeds to the Edinburg Township Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place. Units interested in participating in the parade should assemble between 10 and 10:30 a.m.

Garrettsville: A parade steps off at 9 a.m. Monday, with line up behind Rite Aid, near the veteran's memorial. The parade will proceed to Park Cemetery. There will be services at both the memorial and the cemetery.

Hiram: The Hiram Memorial Day Parade steps off from the Hiram Post office at 12:30 p.m. on Monday and proceeds to Fairview Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place.

Kent: Kent Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday from North Water Street. Units will assemble at 9:30 a.m. The parade will stop at the West Main Street Bridge for a brief observance, then continue to Standing Rock Cemetery, where another observance will take place.

Mantua Township: A parade will step off from the Civic Center and Township Hall on State Route 82 at 11 a.m. Monday and proceed to Westlawn Cemetery, where a service will take place.

Mantua Village: A parade will step off at 9:30 a.m. Monday from Main Street and continue to Hillside Cemetery for a service.

Mogadore: The annual Memorial Day parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday, starting at James Street and South Cleveland Avenue. The route will then proceed north down South Cleveland Avenue and turn onto Mogadore Road toward the Greenwood Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place honoring our veterans. There also will be a bike decorating contest at 9:30 a.m. in the Synthomer parking lot next to the Village municipal building, and children will ride their decorated bikes in the parade. After the ceremony, across the street from the cemetery, the United Methodist Church will be giving out free popsicles.

Randolph: Fire Department, 1639 State Route 44, will play host to its annual pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to noon Monday.

Rootstown: The parade steps off at 10 a.m. Monday from Loretta Avenue and Tallmadge Road on the west side of the Northeast Ohio Medical University. Participants are asked to line up at 9 a.m. The parade will proceed to Homeland Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place.

Ravenna: The Ravenna Memorial Day Parade, which returned last year after it was suspended in 2019, will step off at 10 a.m. Monday. Participants will sign up at 8:30 a.m. at the American Legion, and assemble nearby. The parade will stop at the Portage County Courthouse lawn for a brief observance, then continue to Maple Grove Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place. Participants are asked not to throw candy, keep comedy acts out of the parade and avoid political displays to keep the focus on veterans.

Streetsboro: Veterans will not conduct a parade, but will travel to various sites to honor veterans. The group will carpool from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post to Evergreen Cemetery, where a ceremony will take place about 9:30 a.m. Sunday From there, the group will travel to Woodside Lake Park, where wreaths will be laid in the water in honor of those who died at sea.

Suffield: A parade will step off at 10 a.m. Monday from Catherine Street and proceed to Suffield Elementary School, where a ceremony will take place at the flag pole at the school. Parade participants are asked to line up at 9 a.m. Warner Hughes, who will celebrate his 92nd birthday on Monday, will be the grand marshal.

Windham: A parade will step off at Windham High School at noon Monday and proceed to the township cemetery, where a service will take place.

This is a preliminary listing of Memorial Day events in Portage County. If you would like to list an observance, email information to dsmith@recordpub.com or jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage veterans plan observances for Memorial Day