Before you fire up the grill or plop down on the sofa to watch some classic war flicks, you may want to honor those who made that possible by attending Santa Monica’s 70th Annual Observance of Memorial Day at the Woodland Cemetery located at 1847 14th St.
The program, which will kick off at 11 a.m. Monday, is being presented by a consortium of local charitable and service oriented organizations, as well as City Hall. The program will feature patriotic music from the choirs at Lincoln and John Adams middle schools and the award-winning Fairfax High School marching band. Santa Monica Police Explorers will serve as the color guard for the event.
The keynote speaker of this year’s event will be U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark F. Heinrich, director of logistics operations which provides support to our military personnel currently deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. An aircraft flyover is also planned between 11 a.m. and Noon, and the cemetery is warning residents not to be alarmed.
No vehicles will be allowed to park on the cemetery grounds due to the large number of attendees expected. However, free parking for the event will be available directly across the street from the cemetery in the parking structure of Santa Monica College, located at 1900 Pico Blvd. Big Blue Bus will provide free shuttle bus service from the parking structure to the cemetery and back. The event and bus ride are free.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 24, 2008. Read the original PDF.