Memorial Day tributes honor the fallen

TRI-COUNTY AREA--Memorial Day is dedicated to honoring the memory of those who died in active military service. People in towns and villages throughout the area will be honoring these heroes with events and tributes during the weekend along with several area parades planned for Monday, May 29.
Dundee's annual parade will start at 10 a.m. Monday, May 29. The parade begins at Dundee Central School and ends on Seneca Street. A Memorial Day prayer will be delivered during a ceremony at the Seneca Street Park after the parade.
In Penn Yan, the parade will line up Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. on East Main Street (near the Weldon Funeral home) and will step off at 10 a.m. The parade will move north on Main Street and end at the Courthouse park at the corner of Main and Court Streets. Stanley H. Clark, an Army veteran of both the Korean Conflict and Vietnam War, has been named Grand Marshall of the Penn Yan parade. Clark served with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea in 1952, followed by four tours of duty in Vietnam from 1965 to 1971. Among the many medals he received was the Bronze Star. After his retirement in 1972 at the rank of Sgt. First Class, he was appointed head of the Yates County Veterans Service Agency, a post he held for 20 years, retiring in 1994. An active member of Johnson-Costello Post #355, American Legion, he has held many offices, including Post, Yates County and 7th District Commander.
Clark is the only Legionnaire in the history of Yates County to be elected Department of New York American Legion Commander, a post he held in 2005-06. He was awarded the highest honor a Legion Post can bestow, that of Honorary Life Member, by the Johnson-Costello Post in 1994. Most recently Clark served as New York's representative on the National Executive Committee, the only person from Yates County to ever hold that post.
The Rev. John Busch will be this year's featured speaker at the Memorial Day ceremonies in the Courthouse park after the parade. Busch is a U.S. Army Veteran who served from 1968 to 1971 as a military policeman. He was assigned to the Executive Flight Detachment which was the Army's unit in charge of Presidential helicopters. Busch was a security guard for helicopters at the White House during the administration of President Richard Nixon and was awarded the White House Service Badge. Busch is the pastor of the Lake Keuka Community Baptist Church. A member of the Johnson-Costello Post #355, American Legion, Busch serves as Chaplain of both the post and the Yates County American Legion.
W. Patrick Falvey, who served as an officer in the Army in Vietnam, will be the master of ceremonies. Falvey recently retired after serving many years as Yates County Judge and Acting New York Supreme Court Justice. An active member of Post #355, he has served as Post Commander and held many positions at the post, county, district and department levels.
The ceremonies will conclude with a gun salute by the VFW/Legion color guard and the playing of Taps. The event is sponsored by the Penn Yan Post #745, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Johnson-Costello Post #355, American Legion. All veterans are invited to participate in the parade and ceremonies. Rides will be provided for any veterans unable to walk the parade route. Other community groups, including Boy and Girl Scouts, sports teams and others are also invited to participate.
The town of Torrey will hold its annual Memorial Day service Monday, May 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Dresden United Methodist Church on Cornelia Street. First Sergeant Mark Moon, U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, will be the guest speaker. Jeff Waite will lead the Penn Yan Middle School Band. Toby Bond and Sheryl Parkhurst will lead the Memorial Day choir. Don Chambers will read the Roll of Honor. After the program, there will be a parade to the cemetery where a service will be conducted under the direction of Don Chambers and other members of the American Legion Post #1571. Jeffrey Stempien and Philip Bracht will play Taps. A chicken barbecue follows at the church.
In Wayne, the Memorial Day service begins at 10 a.m. Monday, May 29 at the Wayne Village Cemetery. Veterans will be honored and a speaker will highlight World War I history. 2017 is the 100th Anniversary of the United States entering the war.
In Hammondsport, a Memorial Day parade will start at the veterans' honor roll memorial on village square at 10 a.m. The parade will then proceed to the Elmwood Cemetery for a memorial service.
In Schuyler County, the annual Shequaga Falls Park service begins at 9:30 a.m. In Watkins Glen, the village events start at 10:30 a.m. at the waterfront Naval Memorial, with a parade on Franklin Street at approximately 10:45 a.m. to the 11 a.m. service at the county courthouse. There will also be a memorial day service in Odessa at the Veteran's Memorial Park, 2558 Route 228 at 11 a.m.