MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS SCHEDULED

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson asked to be a part of Cape Girardeau's Memorial Day service Monday because she was touched by the warm good-bye area veterans gave her husband, Bill Emerson, at his funeral.

When former 8th District Rep. Emerson was buried June 27, Jo Ann Emerson said she remembers veterans saluting the funeral procession.

"One man took a small flag out of his trunk and put a hand over his heart," she recalled. "I saw that and I burst out in tears."

Emerson, a Republican, will deliver the Memorial Day address Monday at North Cape Girardeau County Park. The Cape Girardeau Municipal Band will open the ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3838 will post the colors and the Missouri National Guard will provide a firing squad.

In case of bad weather the ceremony will be moved to the Osage Centre. If weather permits, the event will feature the Avenue of Flags display.

Among other area Memorial Day events:

-- Beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, a veterans' memorial will be dedicated at a special ceremony at Scott City Cemetery.

-- The Jackson American Legion Post will have a service beginning at 9 a.m. Monday at the entrance to the Old Jackson City Cemetery. The Jackson Municipal Band will perform and the guest speaker will be Maj. Jerry Miller, chaplain of the 135th Combat Engineer Group out of Cape Girardeau.

In case of rain the program will be in the American Legion Hall on North High Street.

-- U.S. Rep. Glenn Poshard, a candidate for Illinois governor, will be guest speaker at Mound City National Cemetery in Illinois Monday, along with Ben Flerlage, past commander of the Illinois Department of AMVETS.

The service will start at 10 a.m. and is sponsored by Mound City National Cemetery Preservation Commission Inc. A presentation of colors and rifle and cannon salutes will be conducted by the 1244th Transportation Unit, Illinois National Guard; 8th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, Company G; Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; and Camp 1659, Sons of the Confederate Veterans of the Civil War.

Monday's event will be the first in Emerson's crowded weeklong schedule. She plans to speak at another Memorial Day ceremony in Advance at 2 p.m. before having a public coffee at Sam's Cafe in Advance.

She has nine events scheduled for Tuesday, including a Farmington Lion's Club meeting, a meeting at Mineral Area College, a lunch meeting at Potosi and a town hall meeting in Fredericktown.

She has town hall meetings tentatively scheduled in VanBuren, Cuba, Oregon County and Salem.

Thursday Emerson will be in Rolla and Lake Stockton. Friday she may take part in the Meadow Heights graduation.

"It's going to be a fairly ambitious schedule," Emerson said.

Charles E. Woodford, interim chairman of the Cape Girardeau Joint Veteran's Council, said the council was surprised when Emerson called and volunteered to speak at the ceremony. He said Bill Emerson was a friend to veterans and Jo Ann Emerson has continued her husband's work in protecting veterans' rights.