Memorial Day events set for weekend

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Fayette County will honor the memory and sacrifice of members of the United States armed forces this weekend with several Memorial Day events.

Beginning at the old cemetery behind Dairy Queen in Washington C.H. this Friday at noon, the community will celebrate and appreciate those who made the ultimate choice to protect and serve the nation. The annual Memorial Day program will feature guest speaker, Lt. Col. Steve Janasov.

“The Fayette County Veterans Service Commission would like to welcome everyone to our Memorial Day ceremony,” Valorie Morton, Fayette County Veterans Services claims benefit counselor, said. “We encourage everyone to come out and pay tribute to those who have given their all to protect this fine nation. It would be great to see our community come together and honor our fallen heroes.”

Janasov was commissioned in 1979 as a reserve commissioned officer and served for 25 years with 22 years of active duty. He retired in 1984 from his last posting as facility commander of the Army Aviation Support Facility at Rickenback ANG Base. Janasov was a master Army aviator and instructor pilot, and flew the AH-1 Cobra, UH-1 Iroquois, and the UH-60 Blackhawk.

He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. War College Defense Strategy Course. Finally, Janasov is a graduate of Xavier University and is currently employed by ABX Air, Inc. as the director of Airline Safety and Compliance.

Also during the event, local historian and retired Washington High School social studies teacher Paul LaRue will present a new headstone that was placed at the cemetery, and will speak on behalf of the family. The headstone is for Felix Mcelhaney and members of his family are expected from out of state to attend the program, according to the Veterans Service Commission.

In New Holland, the local village administration is encouraging the community to participate in the ninth-annual Spokes for Folks Car and Bike Show on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street within the village. The registration will be held until 1 p.m. with an entry fee of $10 and awards will be given at 3 p.m. All vehicles are welcome and dash plaques — sponsored by Smitty’s Tavern — will be given to the first 50 vehicles. Music will be performed by Jam Traxx and food will be available. For more information, call (740) 505-2279, (740) 572-6595 or (740) 463-3295.

Also being held in New Holland will be the annual Memorial Day parade and program on Monday, May 27. Starting at 12:30 p.m., the community is invited to grab a vehicle and join in as the parade gathers at the light near the village hall. The parade will kick-off at 12:45 p.m. and travel to the New Holland Cemetery where guest speaker LaRue will present a Memorial Day program at 1 p.m.

The Village of Jeffersonville will also honor the nation’s fallen veterans on Monday with a parade and baseball/softball games starting with a line-up at 9:30 a.m. The parade will kick off at 10 a.m. and immediately following the parade, Jeffersonville Athletic Association member Jeannine Whiteside said 33 teams — consisting of both boys and girls teams — will begin playing at the fields in Jeffersonville.

This year an estimated 279 kids will participate in games all day long with concessions being available, as well as fish tail sandwiches sponsored by the Jeffersonville Lions Club. The teams will consist of toddler tee-ball, coach pitch, regular tee-ball, minors, majors and juniors with kids from 3-years-old all the way up to 15-years-old.

“We encourage the whole county to stop out, enjoy the parade and then swing by to watch a few games,” Whiteside said. “Just get something to eat and enjoy some baseball and softball.”

The Fayette County Veterans Service Commission, Village of New Holland and Village of Jeffersonville contributed to this article. Stay with the Record-Herald for more previews this week of upcoming Memorial Day events.

Reach Martin Graham at (740) 313-0351 or on Twitter @MartiTheNewsGuy.

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By Martin Graham

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