The 24th Annual Trinidad Memorial Weekend Ceremony will commence on Sunday, May 26, 2019 at 2 p.m. at the historic Trinidad Memorial Park on Trinidad Bay Bluff at the corner of Edwards and Trinity Streets.
To preserve the solemn nature of the event, the roads surrounding the immediate vicinity will be closed from 12 to 3 p.m.
The ceremony honors those who have been lost or buried at sea, and whose names are engraved on the memorial plaques.
The ceremony begins with bagpipe music by Matthew Marshall, followed by the flag ceremony and pledge of allegiance led by McKinleyville Boy Scout Troop 99 and Girl Scouts from the Redwood Service Unit. Dana Hope, Trinidad Civic Club Co-President, will preside over the ceremony and will welcome guests. The Rev. Nancy Streufert, Priest Associate, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Arcata, will give the invocation and vocalist Samantha Day will sing "Amazing Grace." Special Guest, Commander Clint Schlegel, Deputy Sector Commander, Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay, will address the audience and a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson titled, "Crossing the Bar," will be read by Patti Fleschner, Memorial Lighthouse Historian. Trinidad City Mayor Pro-Tem Jack West will ring the Trinidad Head Lighthouse Keeper's cottage bell. Janine Volkmar, Trinidad Civic Club Recording Secretary, will read the 249 memorial names, followed by a USCG helicopter flyover. Saxophonist Matthew Brogdon will play "Taps" to close the ceremony. The ceremony, which is approximately 35 minutes, takes place rain or shine and there is no available seating.
