Evergreen Cemetery

The Gazette) - A ceremony to mark the first Memorial Day at the Pikes Peak National Cemetery kicks off at 11 a.m. Monday. With musicians from Fort Carson and a speech from retired Army Maj. Gen. Steve Best, the event is designed to begin decades for the facility as a hub for Memorial Day events in the Pikes Peak region. The cemetery opened Nov. 1 and now enshrines more than 700 veterans and family members. The cemetery is just east of the Colorado Springs airport at 10545 Drennan Road. Parking is available on site for the event. If you go: Bring sunscreen: Temperatures are expected to top 70 degrees under sunny skies on the 374 acres of former ranchland. Bring tissues: They'll have a bagpiper honoring the fallen, which will bring a tear to the eye of the toughest warrior. Ask questions: Members of veterans groups including the Pikes Peak Veteran's Council will be on hand. And they'd be happy to fill the public in on why this kind of ceremony is important. Also Monday: Memorial Day Commemoration: Hosted by Evergreen Heritage with historic displays, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., with 10 U.S. Calvary Buffalo Soldiers Commemoration at 11 a.m., Evergreen Cemetery Historic Chapel, 1005 Hancock Expressway, free; 460-7328. Angels of America’s Fallen Fundraiser: One dollar from every pint to benefit Angels of America’s Fallen, Trinity Brewing Co., 1466 Garden of the Gods Road; trinitybrew.com; Bristol Brewing Co., 1604 S. Cascade Ave.; bristolbrewing.com. Territory Days: Missed it over the weekend? The 44th annual event runs through Monday. The event is free to the public and runs from 10...

The two Jims were among those in attendance Monday morning at a Memorial Day ceremony hosted by Veterans of Foreign Wars Taku Post 5559 at Evergreen Cemetery. It was the first time Reeder paid a Memorial Day visit to his late, great-grandfather, who was an officer in the Navy during WWII. “There’s great-grandfather,” Jim Asper said and pointed toward a marker honoring his father who passed in ‘91. [Ancient Threads: Weaver will learn how to create increasingly rare tunics] He and his wife, Bridget Smith, came carrying a bouquet of flowers to decorate the grave and found a wreath had already been placed by an unknown party. Jim Asper, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard, said he was moved by the gesture and said visiting his father is always stirring. “It means memories of my parents,” Asper said. “They were very good people to me.” Remembering late servicemen and women is the precise purpose of the annual ceremony and the national holiday, said VFW Quartermaster Dan McCrummen. “It’s just an opportunity to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” McCrummen said.Attendees bow their heads during prayer at a Memorial Day Ceremony held at Evergreen Cemetery, Monday, May 27. (Ben Hohenstatt Juneau Empire) The sunny ceremony drew a crowd numbering in the hundreds, which Coast Guard Capt. Melissa Rivera, Chief of Staff for the 17th District, said was good to see. Rivera said it’s never certain whether a gorgeous day will result in increased or decreased attendance. She delivered brief remarks during the roughly 30-minute ceremony, which also featured a benediction, presentation of two wreaths and a performance of “Taps” by Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Sam Marnon.Coast Guard Capt. Melissa Rivera, Chief of Staff for the 17th District, speaks during a Memorial Day Ceremony held at Evergreen Cemetery, Monday, May 27. (Ben Hohenstatt Juneau Empire) “This day is a day of both gratitude and grief — remembering our heroes and reflecting on ...