By Paula Pyzik Scott / CLICK to enlarge photos

With the stirring sounds of the Bluffton High School Marching Band, the May 25 Bluffton Memorial Day Parade drew local residents from Town Hall, along Main and Grove streets to ceremonies at Maple Grove Cemetery.

Coordinated by Bluffton American Legion Post 382, the annual event had an excellent turnout on a mild and foggy morning. When two fighter jets performed a flyover at 10:30 a.m., they could be heard but not seen.

The parade and ceremony featured an American Legion Color Guard, Boy and Girl Scouts, Bluffton Police, Fire and EMS units, and the BHS Marching Band under the direction of David Sycks. Mayor Rich Johnson and his wife Ruth were among golf cart riders in the parade.

The Memorial Day ceremony is held at the American Legion monument to “those who have served, who are serving and who will serve God and country.” The area was decorated with American flags and a memorial with a wooden cross with dog tags, helmet, boots and a folded American flag with the words “Freedom Isn’t Free.”  An empty chair draped with POW-MIA also held a place of honor.

On each side of the monument, there is a temporary display of red, white and blue ribbons inscribed with the names of local veterans, one of many America 250 projects in Bluffton. The display will continue throughout the summer.

In preparation for Memorial Day, Legion members decorated the graves of 875 veterans in Richland County cemeteries, including 510 in Maple Grove Cemetery.

During the ceremony, Legion Chaplain Gary Dipnarine read out the names of local veterans who passed away since Memorial Day 2025, as a bell was rung, sounding across the cemetery.

Legion Commander Kurt Emans spoke of the tradition of Memorial Day and “the solemn promise we make each year: we will remember, we will honor, we will carry forward what they can no longer carry.” Emans reviewed the guiding principles of the American Legion and told the story of a sergeant from the Midwest, Lucas Brenner, who died from gunfire after rescuing two injured soldiers.