Small Town held its Memorial Day ceremony at one of the cemeteries this morning, and the rain held off. Not only did it hold off, but the sun was shining after the clouds cleared.
Tradition holds that the high school marching band, along with a police escort and the color guard from the VFW, march from the school to the fire station, and then they march from there to the cemetery where there is a flat-bed truck decorated as a dais, and a small crowd has gathered with little American flags handed out by a Boy Scout troop. The band plays the national anthem, and there are a few speeches. An eighth-grade boy is chosen to read the Gettysburg address, and an eighth-grade girl is chosen to read the poem In Flanders Field.
After a twenty-one-gun salute, Raymond "Skeetz" Botdorf plays taps. He's at least 90—I think he may turn 94 this year—he learned to play the trumpet during WW2. Every year that he plays I am afraid will be his last. This year I was able to capture it, so I wish you well on Memorial Day by showing this video of Skeetz playing. You can barely make him out behind the guard, and then there's the woman with the big hair who crept into my line of sight.
Tradition holds that the high school marching band, along with a police escort and the color guard from the VFW, march from the school to the fire station, and then they march from there to the cemetery where there is a flat-bed truck decorated as a dais, and a small crowd has gathered with little American flags handed out by a Boy Scout troop. The band plays the national anthem, and there are a few speeches. An eighth-grade boy is chosen to read the Gettysburg address, and an eighth-grade girl is chosen to read the poem In Flanders Field.After a twenty-one-gun salute, Raymond "Skeetz" Botdorf plays taps. He's at least 90—I think he may turn 94 this year—he learned to play the trumpet during WW2. Every year that he plays I am afraid will be his last. This year I was able to capture it, so I wish you well on Memorial Day by showing this video of Skeetz playing. You can barely make him out behind the guard, and then there's the woman with the big hair who crept into my line of sight.
Comments
He played remarkably steady for a guy his age.
Looks like a lovely ceremony, Robyn.
Cute finger at the end, by the way. Hee hee.