GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Memorial Day is about honoring those who served our country, and where better to celebrate than in Gettysburg.
“On Monday we’re going to have the Memorial Day parade starting at 2 p.m. downtown. You’re going to see reenactors, hear music [before] the parade concludes at Gettysburg National Cemetery, where there will be a ceremony at 3 p.m..” said Mary Grace Kauffman, Media Relations Manager for Destination Gettysburg.
Performing at the ceremony is Jari Villanueva, who is described as the country’s foremost expert on military bugle calls.
“When I sound those notes, it really pays that tribute to those Americans who’ve served our nation,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva served in the Air Force for over 20 years and participated in over 5,000 ceremonies at Arington National Cemetery as a trumpeter.
He’s expected to perform on Sunday, accompanied by The Gettysburg Choral Society.
“We felt like a lot of people don’t do patriotic music as much anymore, particularly that honors our veterans, so we really like to make sure that we give them a chance to be recognized," said Julie Strickland, manager of The Gettysburg Choral Society. "We always do a piece where they can stand up and be thanked for their sacrifice to our country,”
The chorus has performed since 2017 and plans to make Memorial Day an annual performance.
“My hope is that they would come and feel like they got a true sense of being proud to be an American,” Strickland expressed.
The group is expected to perform at the Chapel of the United Lutheran Seminary on Sunday.
