Memorial Day tributes planned

SANDPOINT — Community members are invited to attend one of several Memorial Day tributes being held in the county.

The Seneaquoteen Cemetery Association will hold its third annual Memorial Day service at 8 a.m. at the cemetery, located on West Dufort Road about 10 miles from Highway 95. Veterans are especially welcome and invited to participate in the ceremony.

In addition, there will be a short ceremony dedicating a new flag pole and service flag to veterans buried at the cemetery.

Donations for equipment and supplies can be sent to the association at 507 S. Lavina Ave., Sandpoint.

VFW Post 10320 will conduct ceremonies at the Clark Fork Cemetery at 9 a.m. At 10:30 a.m., a ceremony will be held to pay respect to those laid to rest at the Hope Cemetery.

In Sandpoint, Memorial Day tributes will be held at Pinecrest Cemetery at 10 a.m. and at Lakeview Cemetery at 1 p.m.

Memorial Day is more than a three-day weekend, it’s a time to honor those who have served and family members who have passed on, said local veterans official Bill Stevens.

“It’s a time to honor family members who have served and every veterans who died in all the old, past wars, who kept us free and all of those who are serving now to keep us free,” he said. “We have a duty to remember and a duty to honor them.”

Whether community members grew up in the community or moved here from somewhere else, Stevens invited everyone to be a part of Monday’s tributes, whether in Sandpoint, Clark Fork, Hope or Seneaquoteen — or wherever they happen to be.

“It doesn’t matter where you are at,” he said. “It is important, however, to honor our veterans.”