Effingham Memorial Day Ceremonies on Monday

Effingham's Memorial Day ceremonies will take place on Monday, May 31.

Effingham American Legion Post #120 and Auxilary are hosting the community ceremony, set to begin at 10:30am at the Veterans Memorial in Oakridge Cemetery.

Post #120 Commander Gary West will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Reverend Katie Orth will offer the invocation and deliver the benediction. Tyler Koester, Kevin Olsen and Shad Soltwedel will present the colors and Julie and Pat Zuber will sing the National Anthem. 

Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Wernsing, retired from the US Marine Corps, will be the keynote speaker.

Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Copple will lead the 21-gun salute, while Matt Stead will play "Taps". 

The same ceremony will be presented at 11am at Woodlawn Cemetery in Effingham.

Those ceremonies will be preceded by a similar observance at 9am at St. Anthony Cemetery.

There will also be ceremonies at 9am Saturday at Watson Cemetery, 1pm Sunday at St. Francis Cemetery in Teutopolis, 2pm Sunday at Island Creek Cemetery near Montrose, 1pm Monday in St. Elmo, 10am Monday in Edgewood with retired Effingham County Sheriff John Monnet as speaker, 1pm Monday in Stewardson, and 10am Monday in Brownstown with Fayette County Sheriff Chris Palmer as keynote speaker.

Dieterich's Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 10am Monday. Dieterich Mayor Brad Hardiek will serve as Master of Ceremonies. Guest speaker will be Pastor Dean Herberts, Pastor of St. John, St. Paul and Grace Lutheran Churches.

Dieterich American Legion Post #628 will participate in the ceremony, and Chloe Prevo and Brayden Hahn will play "Taps".

Altamont will hold its Memorial Day observance Monday, including a parade with Dalyne Sapp as Parade Marshal that will step off at 10am from the high school and travel west on Division Street to Main Street and then north on Main Street to Union Cemetery. The ceremony will be held at the cemetery between 10:45 and 11am with Greg Sapp as the keynote speaker. The Altamont Community High School Band will perform and Judy Burrow will play "Taps".