Orange County communities have a number of events planned for Memorial Day to honor the ultimate sacrifice of service members who died for our country and their families. Events are Monday, May 29, unless otherwise noted.
Anaheim: There will be speakers, a rifle volley salute, color guard and a presentation of wreaths at 11 a.m. at the Anaheim Cemetery, 1400 E. Sycamore St. The ceremony will be held in front of the community mausoleum. Arrive early or bring a lawn chair. Information: occemeterydistrict.com
Brea: More than 1,100 American flags are displayed each year in an Avenue of the Flags at Memory Garden Memorial Park & Mortuary, 455 W. Central Ave. The grave of each veteran in the park will be also decorated with a white cross and miniature flag. The Avenue of the Flags, open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., was started in 1958 with six flags. Information: memorygarden.com
Buena Park: This annual event honors men and women who sacrificed for our country as well as the families who have lost loved ones. There will be a service beginning at 10 a.m. at the Elhers Event Center, 8150 Knott Ave. American Legion Post 354 will host a pancake breakfast starting at 8 a.m.; cost is $5 a person. Information: buenapark.com
Corona del Mar: There will be a remembrance service beginning at 11 a.m. at the Pacific View Memorial Park & Mortuary, 3500 Pacific View Drive.
Costa Mesa: This ceremony, now in its 69th year, will honor the fallen at 11 a.m. at Harbor Lawn-Mt. Olive Memorial Park & Mortuary, 1625 Gisler Ave., and is set to include a missing man flyover, musical presentations and a wreath laying ceremony. Information: fcocmemorialday.com
Cypress: The 10 a.m. remembrance at Forest Lawn-Cypress, 4471 Lincoln Ave., will feature a keynote speaker, patriotic performance, color guard, wreath laying and more. Information: ForestLawn.com
Dana Point: VFW Post 9934 and the city will host a ceremony at 10 a.m. in Pines Park, 34941 Camino Capistrano, that will include the special presentation of the Marine Corps’ traditional Empty Boots Ceremony. Place a flower on the memorial in honor of someone who sacrificed. Information: danapoint.org
Fountain Valley: The city along with the West Orange County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and Auxiliary No. 9557, comprising posts from Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Westminster and Midway City, will host a commemoration at 10 a.m. at Veterans Park, 17635 Los Alamos St. View the ceremony online at Facebook.com/fvrecreation.
Fullerton: The community’s Memorial Day observance starts at 10 a.m. at Loma Vista Memorial Park, 701 E. Bastanchury Road. In a tradition started in 1939, volunteers will place a cross and a flag at the graves of more than 4,400 veterans leading up to the ceremony, which will feature speaker Lt. Gen. George Smith, from Camp Pendleton, as well as patriotic music, recognition of veterans and more. Information: avmafullerton.org
Huntington Beach: An 11 a.m. ceremony, hosted by the city along with American Legion Post 133, will feature a rifle salute, a wreath presentation, speakers and musical performances at Pier Plaza. Information: 714-536-3855
Irvine: The city’s annual ceremony is 10 a.m. at Col. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park, 4 Civic Center Plaza. Write a brief remembrance to be posted on a memory board or write a card to be sent to the city’s adopted 211/Marine Battalion. Information: cityofirvine.org/specialevents
Also, on Sunday, May 28, there will be a candle-lighting ceremony held at 4 p.m. at the Northwood Gratitude and Honor Memorial at Northwood Community Park. Guest speaker will be retired Marine Col. Willard A. Buhl. Lawn chairs or blankets for sitting are encouraged. The park is at 4531 Bryan Ave.
Laguna Beach: A community ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in Heisler Park, 375 Cliff Drive, to pay tribute to all military personnel who have died in wars and conflicts. A musical presentation will start at 10:30 a.m. Also, at Main Beach, the Laguna Community Concert Band will perform a free concert from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Laguna Hills: The city will host its annual Memorial Day Half Marathon. The event includes the half marathon, a 5K run/walk, a 10K run and a kids run. The city will donate $3 per participant to Team Darkhorse, the city’s 3/5 Marine Support Committee. Participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to contribute to the South County Outreach Food Drive. Information: lagunahillshalfmarathon.com
Lake Forest: The El Toro Memorial Park tribute will include a keynote speech by Lake Forest Mayor and Marine Corps veteran Doug Cirbo, along with a color guard flag ceremony, a wreath presentation, musical performances and a gun salute, beginning at 11 a.m. The park is at 25751 Trabuco Road. Information: occemeterydistrict.com.
Laguna Niguel: At noon, the Sea Country Senior and Community Center will hold a ceremony that includes a color guard, dignitaries, guest speaker and placing of a wreath. The center is at 24602 Aliso Creek Road.
La Palma: The city’s ceremony starts at 9 a.m. at the Eternal Flame in front of the Civic Center, 7822 Walker St. Walker will be closed from Thelma Avenue to La Palma Avenue from 8:45 a.m. until the ceremony is over.
Mission Viejo: The community observance will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Kershaw Garden at Mission Viejo Civic Center, 200 Civic Center. The ceremony will include guest speakers and patriotic songs followed by a reception with light refreshments. Information: cityofmissionviejo.org
Newport Beach: The 14th annual Field of Honor is on display at Castaways Park, 700 Dover Drive. To honor those who have served, there are 1,776 large American flags flying in the park. They were installed on May 20. The display is up through Memorial Day. Information: nhexchange.net
San Clemente: At 11 a.m., an observance will be held outside the Community Center at Avenida Del Mar and Calle Seville. Lt. Col. Christopher Kim, commanding officer of the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion will be the speaker. The public is invited. Information: san-clemente.org
Also, a ceremony at 2 p.m. at the Marine Monument at Park Semper Fi, 106 W. Alameda Lane, overlooking the pier, will feature Col. Seth MacCutcheon, commanding officer of the School of Infantry-West, Congressman Mike Levin and various honors and musical presentations. Information: marinemonument.com
San Juan Capistrano: The Mission San Juan Capistrano and the nonprofit Homefront America are presenting the Field of Honor, with hundreds of 7-foot-tall, community-sponsored flags on display to honor active military, veterans and first responders. The flags will be up through Memorial Day. The mission will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Memorial Day.
Santa Ana: The annual service at Fairhaven Memorial Park will begin at 10:30 a.m. to “honor, remember and celebrate the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.” The cemetery is at 1702 E. Fairhaven Ave. Information: 714-633-1442 or fairhavenmemorial.com
Also, the observance at 10 a.m. at the Santa Ana Cemetery, 1919 E. Santa Clara Ave., will include speakers, rifle salutes, wreath presentations and more. The ceremony will be at the Soldiers’ Monument To the Unknown Dead of the Civil War, a community tradition since 1881. Information: occemeterydistrict.com
Seal Beach: The Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach will host a ceremony at 11 a.m. at its United States National Submarine Memorial West. There will be a “tolling the boats” ceremony to remember the 52 American submarines lost during World War II. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. John Sison. The memorial is at 800 Seal Beach Blvd., and open to the public.
Tustin: The city will host a 9 a.m. remembrance event at the Veterans Monument at Veterans Sports Park, 1645 Valencia Ave. The names of Tustin KIA and MIA servicemembers will be read, new veterans pavers will be unveiled and there will be a 21-gun salute.
Yorba Linda: The Nixon Presidential Library & Museum will commemorate Memorial Day with events including the Huntington Beach Concert Band performing in the library’s replica of the White House East Room. The library is at 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd. Information: 714-993-5075
Also, at the Yorba Linda Veterans Memorial, the annual Memorial Day observance will be held at 2 p.m. The afternoon will feature speakers, color guard and musical performances. A traditional Gold Star roll call will be conducted. The memorial is in Veterans Park, 4756 Valley View Ave. Information: yorbalindaveteransmemorial.com
