Around Town

Volunteers Wanted to Place Flags on Veterans’ Graves for Memorial Day

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In honor of Memorial Day, flags will be placed on the graves of Watertown veterans. The Watertown Veterans Services Office seeks volunteers to help place the flags. Watertown will hold its annual Flag Marker disbursement at Veterans Gravesites on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 beginning at 5 p.m., said Watertown Veterans Agent Patrick George. “Volunteers are encouraged to participate in this honorable event and may join us at Ridgelawn Cemetery or Saint Patrick’s Cemetery,” George said. Due to the current COVID restrictions, participants will be required to wear masks and maintain social distance.

Around Town

Watertown Hosting Poppy Picnic Memorial Day Weekend with Food, Crafts & Military Vehicles

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The following information was provided by the Town of Watertown:

This year the Watertown Veteran’s Office and the Commander’s Mansion are teaming up to host the first annual Poppy Picnic on Friday, May 28th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. We encourage guests to picnic on the grounds – Donohue’s Bar & Grill and Branch Line are offering special deals and to-go menu items. Chill Wagon will be onsite selling ice cream treats too! 

Green Urb Gardens will be unveiling the design for our future veteran’s memorial garden where you will have the opportunity to vote on its name and purchase a memory brick for a loved one that served in the military. The festivities also include music, a kid’s Poppy craft station and you’ll have the chance to check out a few military vehicles on display! This is a free Watertown community event; reservations are required as space is limited due to Covid restrictions. Here is the online link to the event – Poppy Picnic

Around Town

2021 Memorial Day Parade Cancelled, Several In-Person Events Planned

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The Watertown Provincial Guard re-enactors joined the 2019 Memorial Day Parade. For the second year in a row, Watertown’s Memorial Day Parade has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced the cancellation in his weekly Coronavirus update. Veterans Services Officer Patrick George said the move was made based on the State’s COVID-19 restrictions on the size of gatherings. “It wasn’t an easy decision — frankly, when this all started, I thought we’d be back open by LAST Memorial Day — but it’s the safest decision we could make with the current public health data available,” George said.

Around Town

Watertown Remembers Pearl Harbor Attack on 79th Anniversary

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Trumpeter Alan Mannarino plays Taps during the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony at the Watertown Square Dock. The annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance ceremony in Watertown Square drew a couple dozen attendees on Monday morning, despite COVID-19 social distancing requirements. The ceremony marked the 79th anniversary of the attack that drew the United States into World War II. The Town has a special link to Dec. 7, 1941, Veterans Services Officer Patrick George reminded those on hand, and tuning in on Facebook Live.

Around Town

Watertown Hosting Live Pearl Harbor Remembrance Ceremony

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Members of Watertown’s veterans organizations talk before the Pearl Harbor Commemoration in 2017 at the Watertown Dock in Watertown Square. The Town of Watertown will remember those lost at Pearl Harbor with an in-person event on Monday, Dec. 7. The Town of Watertown sent out the following information:

Please join us for a ceremony honoring those who lost their lives during the Pearl Harbor attacks at the landing above the former wharf in WatertownSquare. The event will take place on December 7, 2020 at 10:00AM.

Around Town

Flags Retired During Ceremony at Ridgelawn Cemetery, First Veterans Event During COVID-19

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Veterans Agent Patrick George watches as a member of the Department of Public Works lights the retired American Flags during the Flag Day Ceremony at Ridgelawn Cemetery. Watertown’s veterans groups got together at Ridgelawn Cemetery for the first ceremony since the start of the COVID-19 shutdown Sunday to honor the American Flag and retire some during the annual Flag Day Ceremony. With the cancellation of the Memorial Day Parade, the town’s biggest event involving veterans, the Flag Day Ceremony took on a bit more significance this year. Veterans Services Officer Patrick George read a statement that he normally does during the Memorial Day activities in late-May. “Typically what we do on Memorial Day is rededicate memorials around Watertown,” George said.

Around Town

Watertown Holding Flag Day Ceremony at Ridgelawn Cemetery

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Members of Watertown’s veterans groups salute at the Flag Retirement Ceremony on Friday. The following information was provided by the Watertown Veterans Services Office:

Watertown will hold a Flag Retirement Service and Ceremony at Ridgelawn Cemetery on Sunday, June 14th, 2020 beginning at 10:00 AM. We will also rededicate the flagpole. This event is open to the Public; however, in accordance with health & safety guidelines, attendees must wear a face covering and practice appropriate social distancing. Please reach out to the Veterans’ Services office if you have a flag you’d like to properly retire.

Around Town

Watertown’s Roll of Honor: The Town’s Long History of Sacrifice for Country

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Memorial Day ceremonies and the parade will be held in Watertown on Monday, May 26. Watertown’s long military tradition dates well before the founding of the United States. The battles where Town’s the sons (and in one case daughter) served and gave their lives include some of the most hallowed in American history: Lexington, Bull Run, Pearl Harbor, Okinawa. The names can still be seen around town being memorialized in the names of street signs, parks and squares — Phillip Darch Road, O’Connell Park and Moxley Field are just some. Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.