Blue Grass Ruritans Host Memorial Day Festivities Saturday, May 30th

Monterey, VA – The Highland County Memorial Day observance is coming up this Saturday. Monterey dedicated its Veterans Walk of Honor 2007. Civic organizations raised money to pay for several benches. Families of veterans bought bricks engraved with the names of their loved ones who served in the military.

Since that time, local Ruritan clubs have organized the Memorial and Veterans Day observances. The Mill Gap Ruritan club organized the event in 2008 and the Bolar Ruritan club was responsible for the 2009 event. This year’s Memorial
Day commemoration is in the hands of the Blue Grass Ruritan club.

Past president of the Blue Grass Ruritans, Paxton Grant, is helping to organize this year’s activities. Mr. Grant is currently an officer in the army reserves and spent over 5 years on active duty including a year in Iraq. He lives on and works a farm in the Blue Grass valley near Hightown.

Grant says Charles Trible, a youth member with the Blue Grass Ruritans will speak about what Memorial Day means. After some patriotic selections by the Highland High School band, Grant will talk about the origins of Memorial Day.

“To wrap things up, we’re going to have a wreath laying by past service members, Veterans, of the Blue Grass Ruritan club” says Grant.

According to Mr. Richard Waybright, who worked on the original Walk of Honor project, over 800 bricks commemorating the military service of highland county residents and their family members, have been laid in the walk of honor. New bricks are being added each year.

“We’d really like to encourage everyone in the community,” says Grant “particulary Patriots in our community who can spare a few minutes to celebrate what Memorial Day is all about.”