By Khalida Sarwari
Hundreds of people are expected to converge upon Blaney Plaza on May 30 to pay their respects to veterans and current members of the U.S. military as part of Saratoga’s 88th annual Memorial Day Observance.
The event, co-sponsored by the Saratoga Foothill Club and the city, will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Memorial Arch in Blaney Plaza and will continue on to Madronia Cemetery.
“It’s a very short but sweet, solemn ceremony acknowledging not only the people who died in service, but also people who are veterans and currently in the armed services,” said Cathie Thermond, co-chair of this year’s event.
The hourlong ceremony will begin with welcoming remarks and presentation of a laurel wreath at Blaney Plaza, followed by a flag ceremony led by the Girl Scouts and procession down to Madronia led by the Prospect High School percussion color guard, Boy Scout Troop 535 and the Silicon Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.
The service at Madronia should start at about 10 a.m. and will be led by Boy Scout Troop 535 performing a presentation of the colors and the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, Christian Cotter and Jack Taylor will perform “Taps” and the Girl Scouts and members of the El Sereno 4H Club will place laurel branches on soldiers’ graves. Rabbi Philip Ohriner from Congregation Beth David will give the invocation and benediction.
Mayor Manny Cappello will share some remarks be- fore keynote speakers Em- ily Ludwig, a Saratoga High School senior, and James LeBlanc, a South Bay native and Vietnam War veteran, take the stage to give speeches reflecting upon the theme of this year’s event, “Remember All.”
The event is one of Saratoga’s oldest and most valuable civic community observances, bringing together people of all ages, families, civic and church groups, veterans, as well as residents from neighboring towns and cities. Last year, about 250 attended the event, Thermond said.
“We started going to this event when our daughter was a Girl Scout doing the flag ceremony,” said Thermond. “We also have a World War II veteran in our family, and we started taking him every year with us. It’s very emotional, just a wonderful opportunity for our community to say ‘thank you.’ ”
The Saratoga City Council allocated $1,000 in community event grant funds for this year’s event. Among the organizations participating in this year’s program are the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolu- tion, Los Gatos Chapter; the Silicon Valley chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution; the Boy Scouts Troop 535; Girl Scouts Service Unit 618; El Sereno 4H Club; Saratoga Rotary Club; Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office; the Saratoga Fire District; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Congregation Beth David; and the Prospect High School choir and band.
The event is free. Attendees are encouraged to park in downtown and along neighboring streets as Madronia has limited parking.
