Memorial Day in Saline: Pancakes, Parade, Service and Hot Dog Luncheon

On Memorial Day, Saline will honor the veterans who gave their lives while serving our country.

The annual lineup of events will look familiar to those who attend each year.

Schedule

8 a.m. - Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast at the Saline Area Fire Department, until 10 a.m. $8 for 11 and up, $5 for ages 6-10. Free for five and under. Includes a water or coffee. Juice is $2. Cash is preferred. Hosted by BSA Troop 439 and the Saline American Legion. Cash is preferred.

10 a.m. - The parade will start at 10 a.m. outside the fire hall (Michigan and Harris), and proceed down Michigan Avenue to Oakwood Cemetery.

Lt. Col. (Ret) Jason Dye, of the US Army is the Grand Marshal of the parade. He'll ride in the jeep with veteran Paul Schwimmer. Dye was deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003-04. After redeployment, he was assigned to 2-87 Infantry Battalion, 10th
Mountain Division in March of 2005. While there, he commanded B Company during a sixteen-month deployment in support of operations in Afghanistan. He, his wife Tia, and their daughter, Kai,
currently reside in Pittsfield Township.

The parade will also feature the Saline High School Marching Band, the New Horizons Band, scouts and other youth organizations.

10:30 a.m. or so - After the parade, the crowd will join the veterans at Oakwood Cemetery for a brief Memorial Day program. Speakers include Lt. Col Dye, American Legion Post Commander Eric Engelmeier, Tim Driscoll, and Mayor Brian Marl.

11:15 or so -  After the Memorial Day Program, the American Legion Post 322 will host a free hot dog luncheon. The Legion hall is located on the Northwest corner of Mills Road and Michigan Avenue. The Honor Guard will be served first. "It's a wonderful hot dog lunch for everybody in the town who wants it," said longtime Memorial Day emcee Tim Driscoll

Driscoll said Memorial Day brings something special to communities like Saline.

"In these tough times, when maybe it's hard to come together because everyone is in some form of pain, or because of politics, Memorial Day brings us together, and that does make people feel a little better about things," Driscoll said.

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