Memorial Day gathering in 2016 at Elgin’s Veteran’s Memorial Park, among several events planned that day in honor of the nation’s fallen and all veterans. (Photo by James Harvey / Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association)

Elgin’s 108-acre Bluff City Cemetery will be awash with thousands of flags as a tribute to the city’s fallen soldiers this Memorial Day weekend.

Approximately 2,600 flags will be placed on the grave sites of fallen soldiers and another 600 larger flags will be placed along cemetery roadways.

The observance is among a series of events in Elgin, one of more than two dozen Memorial Day activities saluting the nation’s fallen in Kane, DuPage and Kendall counties.

Next Monday’s ceremony honoring local veterans will take place atop the cemetery’s hill —one of several activities that will be held in Elgin on Memorial Day to mark the city’s long standing tradition to honor veterans

The centerpiece statue at the Kane Count Veteran’s Memorial at the county offices in Geneva.

and their service.

“Set on rolling hills, the cemetery is picturesque; it is an enchanting place, according to local histo-rian Jerry Turnquist who will be speaking at this year’s Memorial Day ceremonies.

The first Memorial Day tribute began in Elgin in 1868, “at the time, Elgin as a community lost 68 veter-ans during the Civil War—out of a community of less than 3,000 people at the time,” Turnquist said.

A member of the Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, Turnquist said the group has been responsible for planning Memorial Day activities for the last 125 years.

In 1892, local civil war veterans pulled together about 15 different community organizations to create the Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, he added.

“Instead of having veterans’ group planning Memorial Day events—it became a community event with the input of veterans,” Turnquist said. “The unique composition of the group’s members has made El-gin’s Memorial Day programs successful.”

The 11 a.m. ceremony held at Bluff City Cemetery, 945 Bluff City Blvd. will include a traditional reading of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the reading of Gen. John Logan’s Orders which established Memo-rial Day.

Wreaths will be laid at the Grand Army of the Republic memorial —an observance akin to the laying of wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Washington D.C. Activities will include a roll call of deceased veterans, a rifle salute, and the playing of Taps.

The program will also include the Elgin Master Chorale and the Elgin High School Band.

A free shuttle bus will pick up riders at the main gate and east gate before and after the service for transportation to and from the ceremony area.

Additional events taking place in Elgin to honor our country’s veterans on Monday, May 29 include:

8:45 a.m. – Mount Hope Cemetery, 1001 Villa Street, Elgin. Catholic Mass with a combined color guard, rifle salute and the playing of Taps.

9:15 a.m. – Lakewood Memorial Park, 30W730 US 20, Elgin. A service to honor those buried at Lake-wood Memorial Park will be held at the cemetery’s Garden of Honor and include a combined color guard. The observance will conclude with a rifle salute and the playing of Taps.

9:45 a.m. – Elgin Veterans Memorial Park, 274 N. Grove Ave., Elgin. Organized by the Elgin Navy Club and the Elgin Marine Corps League, this program is especially designed to pay tribute to veterans in-terred at sea. This year’s keynote speaker will be Col. Sheldon J. Bathurst, a retired U.S. Marine who served in Vietnam. The program will also feature the Elgin Master Chorale, and conclude with the strew-ing of flowers into the Fox River, a rifle salute, and the playing of Taps.

Memorial Day Events

Kane County

Aurora / Veterans Week

The second annual Veterans Week culminates with the traditional Memorial Day parade in downtown Aurora. The parade steps off at Benton and River at noon. The theme is “In Memory of Many…In Honor of All.”

Wednesday, May 24, 6 p.m. Civil War Memorial Dedication, Memorial Park – Flagg St. & Root St., Au-rora. Friday, May 26, 6 p.m., Vietnam Veterans 50th Anniversary Recognition Event, Fox Valley Prisco Center, 150 W Illinois Ave, Aurora.

Saturday, May 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Picnic and Patriotic Concert. Fox Valley Park District Cool Acres

Sunday, May 29, 11 a.m. Additional Names Added To Monument, Phillips Park – Sunken Gardens

Monday, May 29 Memorial Day Parade. The theme of this year’s annual Memorial Day Parade is “In Memory of Many…In Honor of All.” The parade route will begin at Benton and River, head east on Ben-ton, north on Broadway, west on Downer Place and ending at River Street. The Memorial Day Reviewing

Stand will be in front of the David L. Pierce Art and History Center at 20 East Downer Place for best view-ing.

Elburn

Monday, May 29, 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Pancake Breakfast, American Legion Post 630, 112 Main Street. The Elburn Boy Scout Troop 7 hosts a Memorial Day pancake breakfast. Memorial Day Parade, 10 a.m., Lions Park. Hosted by American Legion Post 630, the annual Memorial Day Parade begins at Lions Park and ends at Blackberry Township Cemetery. The ceremony includes the reading of “Flanders Field” and the reading of the names of local veterans buried in the area.

DuPage County

Sunday, May 28, 2 p.m. DuPage County Memorial Day Ceremony, DuPage County Government Complex, 421 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton. The memorial commemorates DuPage County residents who lost their lives in military conflicts at home and abroad beginning with the Black Hawk War in 1832 and con-tinuing on to the most recent engagements overseas. The event will include the laying of the wreath by Gold Star families; a weapons salute by DuPage Honor Guard; and finally, the DuPage Honor Guard will retire the colors. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the 421 JTK Administration Building.

Addison

Monday, May 29. 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. – Free Pancake Breakfast. Indian Trail Junior High School, 222 North JF Kennedy Dr., Addison. Hosted by Knights of Columbus (donations accepted), pancakes, sausages, juice, and coffee will be served. 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.; Veterans Resource Fair, Indian Trail Junior High School, 222 North JF Kennedy Dr., Addison. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; Addison Historical Museums Open fea-turing World War I exhibit; 9:30 a.m. – Community March Steps Off to St. Paul Cemetery, led by DeVry Military Resource Club. The 1.5 mile round trip march to St. Paul Cemetery will include an observance led by V.F.W. Ladies Axillary and led by Rev. James Zimmerman; 9:45 a.m. – Flag Posting Begins at ceme-tery; 10 a.m. – Cemetery observance begins; 11 a.m. – VFW Ceremony, Village Hall, 1 Friendship Plaza, Addison.

Carol Stream

Monday, May 29, 11 a.m. Memorial Day Observance, Memorial Day Park, Carol Stream. Members of Carol Stream VFW Post 10396 invite the community to attend the annual Memorial Day Observance to honor our nation’s heroes who died defending our country.

Elmhurst

Monday, May 29, 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day Parade. York & Third St to Wilder Park. Starting from Third Street, the 99th annual Elmhurst Memorial Day parade will head south on York Street to Second Street, veer east along Robert Palmer Drive through the underpass and west back to York Street, south on York Street to Church Street, west on Church Street to Prospect Avenue and north on Prospect Avenue past the Veterans Memorial. Following the parade will be a Post-Parade Military Ceremony at Wilder Park.

Glen Ellyn

Monday, May 29, 11 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony, Lake Ellyn Park, Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn.

Lisle

Monday, May 29, 11 p.m. to 3 p.m. Memorial Day Parade, Ceremonies, and Picnic. Downtown Lisle.

Naperville

Monday, May 29, 10:30 a.m. Memorial Day Parade. The Naperville Memorial Day Parade route will head west from Mill Street along Jackson Avenue, north up Washington Street to Benton Avenue and into Central Park; 12:15 p.m. – Memorial Day Observance. Central Park, 104 E. Benton Ave. Following the Naperville Memorial Day Parade, a 30-minute observance will commemorate the holiday with re-membrances of sacrifice by honored veterans and patriotic music performed by the Naperville Munici-pal Band.

Wheaton

Monday May 29, 10 a.m. Wheaton Memorial Day Parade. The parade begins at the corner of Hale St. and Wesley St. and proceeds West on Wesley St. to West St. then South on West St. to Wheaton Ceme-tery. The parade will end at Wheaton Cemetery where the American Legion Post 76 will hold a cere-mony.

Winfield

Monday, May 29, 8 a.m. Memorial Day Ceremony. Creekside Park Veterans Memorial, 0S211 Winfield Rd, Winfield.

Wood Dale

Monday, May 29, 11 a..m. Memorial Day Parade. The parade will begin at 11 am at Addison Road and Elizabeth Drive and end at Veteran’s Memorial Park, 269 W. Irving Park Road. At the conclusion of the parade, a short memorial service will be held on the grounds of the Veteran’s Memorial.

Kendall County

Plano

Monday, May 29, 10:30 a.m. Veteran’s Memorial Plano at Route 34 and Center St. A recognition of vet-eran’s bricks added this year followed by a tribute to veterans past and present will occur. Following the event at Veteran Memorial, the parade will proceed to Little Rock Township Cemetery on North Center St.

Yorkville

Monday, May 29, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Memorial Day Dedication, Townsquare Park, Yorkville. 7:40 a.m. -The Yorkville American Legion Post Honor Guard and Riffle Squad will be “posting colors” at Yorkville area cemeteries. The Honor Guard, Rifle Squad, and American Legion Riders will head together as a group and conduct the same service honoring veterans at the several cemeteries.