With Memorial Day on Monday, May 26, a number of ceremonies are scheduled honoring the U.S. military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Veterans Journey Forward Memorial Day 5K
On Saturday, May 24, Veterans Journey Forward — a veteran-run nonprofit that assists veterans and their families — will hold its Memorial Day 5K run and walk.
Runners and walkers will start out at the Veterans Memorial Museum, located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis, with registration starting at 9 a.m. and the 5K set to start at 10 a.m.
Registration is $30 per participant and can be done online ahead of time on the Veterans Memorial Museum’s website at https://tinyurl.com/yhvfa2h2.
For more information, message Veterans Journey Forward on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/veteransjourneyforward.
Claquato Cemetery service and Tree of Life ceremony
Starting at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 26, Veterans Memorial Museum Executive Director Chip Duncan will deliver a Memorial Day speech at Claquato Cemetery.
This Memorial Day service is free to attend. Claquato Cemetery is located at 142 Stearns Road in Chehalis.
The American Legion Grant Hodge Post 17 will perform ceremonial Honor Guard duties.
Following the service at the cemetery, Duncan will hold the Tree of Life ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Museum, located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis.
The Tree of Life is a tree inside the museum decorated with the dog tags of fallen service members donated by museum attendees, and each name is read aloud during the ceremony, accompanied by the lighting of a candle and a ceremonial bell ringing.
This event is also free to attend, and on the holiday, admission to the Veterans Memorial Museum is also free.
For more information, call the museum at 360-740-8875, or visit its website at https://www.veteransmuseum.org/.
George Washington Park Memorial Day ceremony
On Monday, May 26, America’s Team Museum Executive Director Peter Lahmann will host a Memorial Day service at the Freedom Walk Memorial in Centralia’s George Washington Park starting at 12:30 p.m.
The Freedom Walk is located in the park along South Pearl Street in downtown Centralia.
“Come out and remember the 355 Lewis County residents that gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms,” Lahmann said on his Facebook page. “From WWI to Operation Iraqi Freedom.”
The American Legion Grant Hodge Post 17 will again perform ceremonial Honor Guard duties.
Additionally, Lahmann is inviting any Lewis County residents who have family members with names on the Freedom Walk to speak during the ceremony.
Historical military artifacts from America’s Team Museum will also be on display.
Packwood Memorial Day flea market
In East Lewis County, Packwood’s bi-annual flea market returns for the Memorial Day weekend daily from Friday, May 23, to Monday, May 26.
Free to attend, the flea market will be open from 9 a.m. to dusk on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Monday.
The flea market features hundreds of local vendors and artisans selling a wide variety of items and is held every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend.
Originally launched in the 1970s, it’s considered the largest flea market in the Pacific Northwest.
Packwood is located along U.S. Highway 12 just east of Randle.
For more information, visit the flea market’s website at https://packwoodfleamarket.com/.
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