Clovis veterans to honor Memorial Day and 75th anniversary of D-Day

Hundreds are expected to gather at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District this coming Memorial Day on May 27, 2019. This photo is from last year’s Patriotic Concert during the CVMD’s Memorial Day event. PHOTO COURTESY OF CLOVIS VETERANS MEMORIAL DISTRICT

The Clovis Veterans Memorial District will honor members of the Clovis community who made the ultimate sacrifice from World War I to the Iraq War on Monday. There will also be a special remembrance for the storming of Normandy Beach 75 years ago.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., community members can help honor the fallen heroes with a veteran documentary series, patriotic concert and the Gold Star Hero ceremony. The CVMD will also have booths, live entertainment and food for community members.

But, behind it all, the true meaning of Memorial Day can’t be lost.

“One of the significant meanings is that this is a time to take a step back and honor the men and women who died in the US military,” chief executive officer and former US Army veteran Lorenzo Rios said. “It’s an opportunity to acknowledge the cost of freedom and an opportunity to realize the significant blessing that we have.”  

From the men and women lost during World War I and II, to the eight Buchanan High School patriots who sacrificed their lives, the CVMD will honor those community members with a fitting tribute.

At 9 a.m., a live band will be performing in the westside park. The Gillygirls band, which features two sets of twins, will play for a couple of hours before the patriotic concert at 11 a.m. in the Liberty Ballroom.

The Clovis Community Band will then takeover before the Gold Star Hero ceremony.

“The Gold Star ceremony is part of the patriotic concert. What we have is a solemn moment where we bring in the boxes with the different flags, representing the different servicemen and women that we lost in every engagement from World War I to the present,” Rios explained. “[The boxes] symbolize the heroes that we lost in Clovis and more significantly, it reminds us of the conflicts that this nation has endured to have the freedoms we hold dearly.”

After the tribute to the fallen men and women, there will be a lunch for all community members served by local business Maw n’ Paw BBQ. There will be multiple areas to get lunch and multiple venues to sit and relax with family and friends.

Finally, the day will end with a concert from country music artist Jason Cade, who will be performing outside. There will be entertainment for the younger guests as well.

“We’ll have a scavenger hunt, a bounce house and some veteran documentaries being showed inside so families with younger kids can still come out and have some fun as well,” marketing associate Sarah Wood said.

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