Decorah’s observance of Memorial Day on Monday begins at 10:30 a.m. with a parade starting at the College Drive Bridge. The Parade Grand Marshal will be Maurice Collins, a Korean War veteran who has been an American Legion member and a Veterans of Foreign Wars member for almost 70 years.
The parade will start at Carl Selland Wayside Park on Fifth Avenue, take a pause at the College Drive Bridge for a brief firing squad ceremony, then travel to Mary Christopher Park on the East end of Water Street, where a program will take place.
Following the program, at noon the new Winneshiek County Veterans Memorial at Mary Christopher Park in Decorah will be dedicated.
The ceremony will include a history of the memorial project by Tade Kerndt; a guest speech by retired US Army Colonel Dean Darling; a ribbon cutting ceremony with nine participants and the placing of a wreath on the center stone to honor all veterans who have died. Following the ceremony, the stone pillars with the names of Winneshiek County Veterans who have died will be revealed.
