The Muni returns, pools open, honor the fallen: Here are things to do Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day around the Springfield area will be marked by acts of solemnity and honor as a number of events return after being scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A memorial service returns to Camp Butler National Cemetery, where 26,000 headstones dot the prairie, and a Field Mass returns to its place at Calvary Cemetery.

Memorial Day also heralds the "unofficial start" of summer.

According to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, Saturday, Sunday and Monday all look sunny and clear, with high temperatures of 80 to the upper 80s.

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That means outdoor public pools and water parks should be brimming on opening day.

The forecast should be to the delight of theatre-goers as well as The Muni takes to the stage for the first time since 2019.

Sometimes it is just the thought that counts. The National Moment of Remembrance Act, adopted in December 2000, encourages citizens to pause at 3 p.m. Monday to remember the men and women who died in service to the nation.

Here's what's on tap in and around Springfield this weekend:

The Muni returns

After a hiatus of two summers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Muni returns with "SpongeBob the Musical" Friday.

Craig Williams II directs the show, which runs through Sunday and again June 1-6.

Rounding out The Muni season are "Ragtime," June 17-19 and June 22-26; "Newsies," July 8-10 and July 13-17; and "Matilda," July 29-31 and Aug. 3-7.

All shows begin at 8:30 p.m. For more information, visit The Muni website.

Pools open

Veterans Memorial Pool and the Nelson Center pool, both operated by the Springfield Park District, will open for the season this weekend.

Veterans Memorial, 2700 Ely St., opens Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. while Nelson Center, in Lincoln Park at 1601 N. Fifth St., opens Monday, also with 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. hours.

Lynn Saputo, park district director of recreation and marketing, said for now, Veterans Memorial will be the only pool open on Saturdays and Sundays. Nelson Center normally is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Admission is $6 for adults and $5.25 for seniors and children age 12 and under.

In addition, there are "splash pads" available at both Comer Cox and Southwind parks. The splash pads are free and available during normal park hours.

Visit the park district's website for more information.

Splash Kingdom at Knight's Action Park opens at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Adventure Park is open daily at Knight's and the Route 66 Twin Drive-in Theatre will open Wednesday through Sunday with double features each night.

Field Mass at Calvary Cemetery

Springfield Catholic Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will be the principal celebrant of the traditional Field Mass at the Father Howard Altar at Calvary Cemetery at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Accompanying Paprocki in the procession will be a number of local priests and members of the Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus.

There will be limited seating available under the tent. Lawn chairs are welcome. A golf cart will be available to assist from the main gate to the Mass site.

For more information, call (217) 523-3726.

Ceremony at Oak Ridge Cemetery

The 114th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment Reactivated will hold a wreath-laying ceremony at 9 a.m. at Oak Ridge Cemetery  at the Grand Army of the Republic Mound at Block 10.

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The ceremony will include a reading of Gen. John A. Logan's General Order No. 11 issued in 1868 establishing Memorial Day as a national holiday. Logan was the commander-in-chief of the GAR.

Following the ceremony, members of the 114th Regiment will proceed to Camp Butler to fire salutes over the graves of Union and Confederate veterans.

Camp Butler ceremony

A public Memorial Day service returns to Camp Butler National Cemetery, 5063 Camp Butler Road, at 2 p.m. Monday.

The service will take place at the Rostrum, just outside the Administration Building at the entrance to the cemetery.

The keynote speaker will be retired U.S. Air Force Sgt. Frederick "Fritz" Pfister, who is a real estate broker for RE/MAX Professionals. Pfister served in northern Thailand during the Vietnam War and received the Republic of Vietnam campaign ribbon and defense medal.

Cemetery director Victor Reed also will speak and the Springfield Municipal Band will perform.

About 200 Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will place flags on the more than 26,000 graves at Camp Butler on Saturday.

Memorial ceremony in Atlanta

The Veterans Memorial Ceremony and Atlanta Band Concert will begin at 9:45 a.m. on the lawn of the Atlanta Public Library and Museum, 100 SE Race St. (intersection of Race and Arch streets) in Atlanta, Monday.

This year's speaker will be former Capt. Miguel Ortiz.

There will be no bleacher seating.  Anyone who plans to attend is encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

The museum will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday with new displays of military memorabilia from the community.

American Legion ceremony in Lincoln

Lt. Col. Karen J. Diefendorf, a retired U.S. Army chaplain who served at the Pentagon, will be the keynote speaker for a ceremony at American Legion Post 263, 1740 Fifth St. in Lincoln at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

Diefendorf served 24 years in the Army as an active-duty chaplain. In 2021, she retired as director of chaplain services for Tyson Foods.

Diefendorf is a former academic dean at Lincoln Christian University and chairperson of the university's board of trustees. She earned her undergraduate degree and seminary degree from LCU.

There is outdoor seating available, but the public may also bring lawn chairs.

Following the service, a traditional ham and bean lunch will be served in the banquet hall.

Chatham ceremony

Chatham American Legion Post 759 and Chatham-Auburn Memorial VFW Post 4763 will hold a joint service at Veterans Memorial Park in Chatham at 10 a.m. Monday.

Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Iris Miranda-Kirschner, the judge advocate with Post 759, will be the keynote speaker.

Local Scouts will be participating, and the Titan Fever Show Choir from Glenwood High School will perform "The National Anthem."

Jacksonville memorial rededication

There will be a series of events around the rededication of the Morgan County Vietnam Memorial in Nichols Park in Jacksonville over the weekend.

The rededication takes place at 2 p.m. Monday at the memorial. Laura Doss, first vice commander of AMVETS Post 100, will speak.

There will be a 21-gun salute and the playing of "Taps."

A public memorial service will honor three former Illinois College students – Robert C. "Bobby" McMahan, Charles W. "Bill" Sanders and Larry E. Welch – who were killed in the Vietnam War. The service is at Legacy Plaza on the IC campus, 1301 W. College Ave., at 5 p.m. Sunday.

“Remembering Our Veterans’ Sacrifice, Honoring Their Legacy” is the title of Mark DePue's talk at the Elks Club, 231 W. Morgan St., in Jacksonville at 2 p.m. Sunday. He is the former ALPLM oral historian.

BLM solidarity procession

Black Lives Matter Springfield will hold its third "solidarity procession" at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The initial procession, which remembered Breonna Taylor, Dreasjon "Sean" Reed and George Floyd, drew some 3,000 vehicles, according to Springfield Police.

The lineup is at the parking lot south of Adams Street and west of Ninth Street in downtown Springfield.

For more information, visit Black Lives Matter SPI's Facebook page.

UIS baseball

The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team hosts Quincy University Friday in a best two-out-three series in an NCAA Division II Midwest Super Regional.

Friday's game is at 1 p.m. at UIS with Saturday's game at 11 a.m. If a third game is needed, it will be played 30 minutes after the conclusion of Saturday's game.

The winner advances to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Cary, N.C.

Tickets are $10 for adults, and $5 for youth ages 5-17, seniors, and students with school ID.

Televised event

PBS will televise the National Memorial Day Concert at 7 p.m. Sunday. It will be hosted by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy Award-winner Gary Sinise with all-star performances and tributes from around the country honoring American heroes.

Among those scheduled to take part in the event are Emmy-winning actress Jean Smart ("Hacks," "Mare of Easttown"), actor Dennis Haysbert ("24," "The Unit") and Carolina Chocolate Drops founder Rhiannon Giddens plus a number of military bands and ensembles.

For more information, visit www.pbs.org.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Memorial Day happenings in and around Springfield IL