Memorial Day: More Than Just Another Day Off

It’s easy to marginalize the significance of Memorial Day and treat it as just another three-day weekend. Before heading out to the beach to enjoy an extra day off, you might consider taking a moment to recall why Americans mark this day.

Several events have been scheduled throughout the Tampa Bay area in observance of Memorial Day, including the following:

• In observance of Memorial Day, any active duty, activated, retired or drilling reservist, or National Guardsman, will be entitled to free admission to Lowry Park Zoo on Monday, May 26, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eligible guests must show a Department of Defense photo ID at the ticket counter. As many as three direct dependents of military personnel also will be entitled to free admission. Dependents may take advantage of the offer without their service member; however, an adult must accompany minor dependents.

• Indian Shores’ annual Memorial Day celebration will take place on Monday, May 26, 2 p.m., at the pavilion behind Town Hall, 19305 Gulf Blvd. Town officials will serve a traditional fried chicken dinner and the town library will host a book sale.
• The First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks will host a Memorial Day service on Monday, May 26, 9:30 a.m., at Indian Rocks Memorial Gardens, 13401 Indian Rocks Road, Largo. The service will include a special tribute to all veterans from the Tampa Bay area who gave their lives in the Iraq War.
• The Florida Orchestra Super Pops will present Star-Spangled Pops on Saturday, May 24, 8 p.m., at Mahaffey Theater at Progress Energy Center, 400 First St. S., St. Petersburg. The concert will feature patriotic tunes by American composers.
• The Bay Pines Veterans Administration Center will host a Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 26, 10 a.m., in the Bay Pines National Cemetery. The keynote speaker at the event will be Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young.
• There will be a ceremony on Monday, May 26, 7 p.m., at the Military Court of Honor, Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Drive, in Largo. Chaplain Gordon Mauldin will act as master of ceremonies and the keynote speaker will be Nevin Weaver of the Bay Pines Veterans Administration.

• The Sarasota Concert Band, conducted by William Barbanera, will perform a musical tribute to the country’s fallen war heroes on Monday, May 26, 5 p.m., at Phillippi Estate Park, 5500 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota. Featured artists will include Lorraine Murphy, soprano, and Robert Thurston, euphonium soloist. Cost is $5 adults. Children under 12 will be admitted free.
• The Jacobites Band will commemorate Memorial Day with a concert on Sunday, May 25, 3 p.m., at Church of the Palms, 3224 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota. Tickets are $15.