Has it really been five years? Sometimes it feels like we are still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet most of the time it feels like a nightmare and the world has finally been shaken awake.

Memorial Day is usually a pretty big deal in our city .

But this year is different.

On Saturday the young men of Boy Scout Troop 165, along with their families usually go to each cemetery and put an American flag on the grave of EVERY person who has served in the military since the early 1800’s.

But this year is different.

And then comes Monday, Memorial Day. The marching bands from our three high schools, scout troops, various city officials as well as the American Legion, VFW line up for the parade.

But this year is different.

At the same time, people quietly line the streets along the parade route: equipped with sunscreen (or an umbrella), a lawn chair, a cold beverage and a small flag to wave.

But this year is different.

This parade is very different than other holiday parades. It is a more subdued event as each person remembers family members who risked their very lives for our freedom.

But this year is different.

The parade winds across town and ends at Union Cemetery.

But this year is different.

There is patriotic music, speeches & laying of wreaths.

But this year is different.

As we all stand in silence, the sound of “Taps” echos across the cemetery grounds.

But this year is different.

None of these things happened this weekend.

Because this year is different.