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Lake Placid’s Memorial Day parade canceled again

American Legion Post 326 members Stuart Spotts, left, and Bob Marvin fold a flag at the American Legion in Lake Placid on Nov. 11, 2021. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

LAKE PLACID — Memorial Day services are planned for this community and the town of Keene on Monday. However, Lake Placid’s traditional parade down Main Street and luncheon will not be held again.

American Legion Post 326 members will lower and raise American flags at several locations to honor local veterans who have passed on “and who had honorably and unselfishly served our country so we may enjoy our freedoms as Americans,” Post Commander Doug Hoffman said in a press release.

The parade and luncheon are canceled due to the recent upsurge of the COVID pandemic and construction on Main Street, according to Hoffman. Post 326 traditionally holds parades on Main Street from Brewster Park to the Legion home on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, featuring the high school marching band, Lake Placid firefighters and local organizations such as the Boy Scouts. It has not held a parade since Veterans Day in 2019, at first because of the pandemic and now because of the Main Street construction.

“As soon as Main Street is paved,” Post 326 will hold another parade, Hoffman said on Monday. That could be as early as this year’s Veterans Day on Nov. 11. “We’re pretty anxious to get back to the parade. We can’t see people lining the street to way it is right now. Too messy.”

Six U.S. flags that have been flying since Veterans Day at four locations around Lake Placid will be lowered and replaced by six new flags, to be flown until Veterans Day. Another flag at the North Elba Cemetery is also maintained by the American Legion Post 326 in honor of all deceased local veterans.

The ceremonies around town will be held as follows: 9:30 a.m., World War I memorial at the Adirondack Community Church, flags lowered for Charles Walker and raised for Dale Bath; 10 a.m., Elderwood of Uihlein at Lake Placid, lowered for William Dennebaum and raised for Peter Kremser; 10:20 a.m., Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center, lowered for Joel Mayberry and raised for Barry Benson; and 10:40 a.m., North Elba Cemetery, old flag retired and a new one raised.

During the closing ceremony 11 a.m. at the American Legion — the corner of Main and School streets — flags will be lowered for Charles Daby, Roy “Pete” Durgan, and Edward Zampieri and raised for Bert Wood, Don Whitemore and Phil Thayer. And the American Legion Post 326 Ladies Auxiliary will place a wreath at the Legion’s Memorial Monument in honor of all veterans.

Retired flags will be presented to the families in attendance.

All citizens, friends and families are invited to attend any of the ceremonies in Lake Placid.

Keene

The Memorial Day ceremony in the town of Keene begins at 10 a.m. Monday at the veterans memorial site on Norton Cemetery Road, according to American Legion Marcy Post 1312 Commander Tom Both.

The ceremony will include an honor guard, firing squad, patriotic music and the playing of “Echo Taps.” Amy and Pete Nelson will perform two songs: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “America the Beautiful.” Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson Jr. will make some comments.

“And all the flowers will be in bloom,” Both said on Monday.

Also, the names of all the Keene residents who served since the Revolutionary War will be read during the ceremony.

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