The Veterans Council of Seneca Falls is pleased to announce the 2021 schedule of events to celebrate Memorial Day in the Town of Seneca Falls. Flags will be placed on veterans’ graves in the local cemeteries on Saturday, May 29 at 9 a.m. The public is invited to join members of the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars in this activity.
The parade will be held on Monday, May 31 at 9:15 a.m. at the Mynderse Academy parking lot on Troy Street and proceeding to Veterans’ Park (formerly Academy Square). The parade will be led by the veterans of all wars. The Poppy Prince and Princess, winners of an essay contest for Seneca Falls fourth-grade students on “What Memorial Day Means to Me,” are Michael Miller and Gianna Clemenson of Seneca Falls.
The parade grand marshal is John Robbins, a veteran of World War II. Born in Minnesota, Robbins enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943. Assigned to the Corps of Engineers, he worked on Gen. MacArthur’s staff in New Guinea in a G-2 intelligence position. Upon his discharge from the service in 1946, he attended the University of Minnesota on the GI Bill, achieving a degree in electrical engineering. He first worked for Sylvania in Pennsylvania, and transferred to Seneca Falls in 1964. He is on the board of the Seneca Falls Historical Society, and is a member of The American Legion and a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Ceremonies honoring the dead of all wars will be held at 10 a.m. in Veterans’ Park. Master of ceremonies is Art Evans, past commander of American Legion Post 366. Invocation and benediction delivered by Pastor Jerry Graziano of Finger Lakes Christian Fellowship. The Gettysburg Address delivered by Morgan Trout, a senior at Mynderse Academy. The roll call of the dead for 2019-2020 will be added this year due to COVID restrictions last year.
Keynote speaker is Menzo Case, president of Generations Bank in Seneca Falls. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, he served from 1981 to 1986. A resident of Seneca Falls since 1999, he serves on the boards of Finger Lakes Health Systems, New York Chiropractic College, the Seneca County IDA and the National Women’s Hall of Fame. He dedicates hundreds of hours annually to Habitat for Humanity of Seneca County, which over 20 years has provided access to affordable homes for nearly 30 families in Seneca County. At the conclusion of the ceremonies, the public is invited for refreshments at the Kirk-Casey American Legion located at 48 State St.