As Memorial Day and the Fourth of July approach, towns and organizations are grappling with what to do about ceremonies and celebrations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With recommendations from health experts and elected officials changing frequently, groups that often spend months planning events have often erred on the side of caution.
In Perkinsville, the May 25 Memorial Day ceremony will go ahead at noon as planned with one notable exception: Members of the public can view the proceedings via Facebook Live on the “Weathersfield Veteran’s Memorial” Facebook page instead of gathering at the monument like they have in years past.
“We were waiting to see how it was going to play out, whether we would actually be able to hold a ceremony,” said deForest Bearse, chairwoman of the Veterans Memorial Committee. “At first, we thought we’d just put a wreath at the monument and then we thought we’d do a little more.”
As the members of the committee kept talking, they realized they would be able to keep the ceremony roughly the same.
“It’s never more than half an hour; it’s a somber occasion. … It’s usually pretty quiet and we keep it pretty simple,” Bearse said, adding that fewer than 10 people will raise a flag, lay a wreath and play taps. “We were determined and we figured this is the way we could do it, so we’re doing it.”
For the first time in its history, the White River Junction VA Medical Center will not hold an in-person Memorial Day celebration with the public on its campus. Instead, it will hold a wreath-laying ceremony with taps at 10 a.m. May 30, the official date for Memorial Day, on Facebook Live on its Facebook page “White River Junction VA Medical Center (WRJ VAMC).”
“While we will miss inviting our veterans, their loved ones and the community on campus we must make appropriate accommodations to ensure the safety and well-being of all,” the organization wrote in a news release.
In Lebanon, the annual Memorial Day parade downtown followed by a ceremony at Colburn Park has been canceled. Instead, a small group from American Legion Guyer-Carignan Post 22 will lay wreaths in the Mascoma River, School Street Cemetery and Colburn Park in a private ceremony on May 30.
“We’re just doing an honor guard, laying wreaths and that’s it because of COVID-19,” said Henri Gilbert, chaplain at Post 22, who oversees the Memorial Day ceremony for the organization.
“We don’t want people to come out,” he added. “We don’t want gathering.”
In Charlestown, VFW Post 8497 canceled parades planned for Charlestown and North Charlestown, but encouraged individuals and families to “make the time for small, private observations to honor those military personnel who passed away while serving our great country,” according to a letter to the editor published in the Valley News written by Tom St.Pierre, commander of the VFW in Charlestown.
“Please use this time to learn more about those (heroes) in your town and help keep their memory alive,” he wrote.
Towns are also looking ahead to the Fourth of July, when the celebrations — and fireworks — often serve as highlights of the summer for residents and visitors.
West Windsor canceled its two-day celebration that includes fireworks on July 3 and full day of activities on the Fourth.
“We decided to wait until May before making any decision. In the meantime, a lot of other events were canceled that were beyond July 4 in town,” said Linda Ley, administrator of the Independence Day Celebration Steering Committee.
The fireworks alone draw more than 1,000 people, including visitors from out of state.
“We just felt there’s no way we could enforce social distancing or masks with that many people,” Ley said.
Additionally, the fireworks display costs around $5,000 and the committee chose not to fundraise in light of the pandemic.
“We just felt that we shouldn’t be asking (businesses) to sponsor if they’re not even operational,” Ley said. “Same with individual donations.”
Now, the committee is turning its attention to the fall, when it “would be really great to have all the organizations in town participate in some kind of real big celebration,” Ley said.
Officials in Lebanon and Hartford, which are known to draw thousands of spectators to their Fourth of July celebrations and fireworks displays, are still figuring out their courses of action.
“Typically, we offer events at Colburn Park on the Fourth of July. We wouldn’t be doing those things,” said Rick Desharnais, interim director of the Lebanon Recreation and Parks Department. “We’re not doing our road race in the morning, but we’re still looking at a way to whether we can host the fireworks.”
Desharnais will meet with city officials to figure out what, if anything, they can do to preserve part of the festivities.
“We definitely recognize the importance of the community morale that that builds, which is why we’re getting together to brainstorm ideas whether we move locations so folks can spread out more,” he said. “We hope to be able to do something.”
Hartford faces the same dilemma. Parks and Recreation Director Scott Hausler said the town is waiting on further guidance from Gov. Phil Scott.
The fireworks are held at Kilowatt South Park in Wilder, which isn’t the best location for social distancing during the fireworks.
“There’s no way we can keep people in vehicles to view fireworks down at that location,” Hausler said. “It’s just not possible.”
Hausler hopes that the department can figure out a way to hold its annual summer concert series and outdoor movies that take place in the town’s parks, provided they can enforce social distancing guidelines.
“It’s really just unsettling to agencies like us, Parks and Recreation — we’re organizations that provide social interaction programs for people in the community,” he said. “When you can’t do that, you find yourself in a position that’s unfortunate. It’s not the way of life.”
Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.
