DIXFIELD – Memorial Day services honoring America’s deceased veterans were held around Oxford County on Monday, but rain canceled parades in Paris and Rumford.
In Dixfield, a small crowd gathered shortly after 9 a.m. Monday on Weld Street at Greenwood Cemetery.
In its debut, SAD 21’s Dirigo High School band and chorus joined in playing and singing patriotic songs.
“It was nice to see the band and chorus coming out and doing some community things,” said SAD 21 Consolidated School Board member Cynthia Bissell of Canton.
American Legion Post No. 100 Commander Marcel Martineau said he and others from the legion were also pleased with the young musicians and singers.
“For so many years, we’ve stood alone here, so this is nice,” he said Monday morning.
Dirigo Middle School eighth-grader Steve Zadakis performed “Taps.”
Anthony “Tony” Martin of Dixfield, who served with the Army’s 42nd Infantry Division in World War II, said the service “really gets me every year. There are less and less veterans left. This may be my last one.”
After the service ended, legion officials joined their Peru counterparts, American Legion Post No. 199, on the Mexico-Peru bridge over the Androscoggin River.
Post 199 veterans placed a wreath at Memorial Green in Peru, then, followed by a short remembrance ceremony, tossed a wreath off the bridge into the river.
Meanwhile, Rumford American Legion Post No. 24 officials, who were to begin their Memorial Day ceremony at the same time as Dixfield and Peru, canceled its parade from Rumford to Mexico.
“I’m sorry that we didn’t have the parade, but the weather didn’t look the best,” said Post 24 Commander Joseph Martineau.
Instead of conducting the service outside at Memorial Green in Rumford, Joseph Martineau said the ceremony was held inside the Rumford legion hall on Congress Street.
Of the service, Joseph Martineau said, “It went pretty good, considering the weather wasn’t with us, but we had a good turnout.”
In Paris, Jim Taylor, Foster-Carroll American Legion Post No. 72 commander, said the annual parade was also rained out. Instead, like Rumford, a service was held in front of a large crowd in the legion hall.
At 10:30 a.m., Mexico’s ceremony began at the town’s Memorial Green Park beside Route 2.
Many who came to watch the parade, instead gathered there and listened to state Sen. Bruce Bryant, state Reps. John Patrick, D-Rumford, and Randy Hotham, R-Dixfield, master of ceremonies retired Army Col. Joe Morin, and Mexico Town Manager John Madigan.
SAD 43’s Mountain Valley High School’s band performed a medley of patriotic songs, then, four women, individually, read the names of Mexico’s deceased veterans. The women were: Jody Kazaricus, who did World War I and II; Beverly Boyle, who did the Korean War; and Myrtle Millage, who did the Vietnam War.
Jackie Masters, who was not yet born when her father John M. Hickey was killed in action in Korea, read her father’s name.
After each name was read, Wendy Miller struck a brass bell.
Madigan then recognized veteran Norbert “Nobby” Gallant and the memorial marker project Gallant started that allows Mexico to honor all of its residents who either served in or are currently serving in the military.
Next, Madigan read the names of the 120 Mexico veterans, whose granite markers Gallant and a crew had placed earlier this month in the new park memorial.
“We have plans for this to continue,” Madigan said. “This lasting, perpetual memorial can expand to 1,400 names.”
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