Northeast News
May 27, 2011

Several events will be held this weekend in honor of Memorial Day.

Elmwood Cemetery
Elmwood Cemetery, 4900 E. Truman Rd., Kansas City, Mo., will have several of its Elmwood Cemetery Society board members stationed on site to answer questions from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday through Monday about the historic cemetery. Thirty-six thousand people are buried at the cemetery, including 1,500 veterans. Eight-hundred were Civil War veterans and 700 were Union soldiers.

Beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, a local Boy Scouts troop will conduct a flag raising ceremony and retire the old flag. Bruce Matthews will give a presentation at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Armour Memorial Chapel about the history of the cemetery and the lives of some of the people buried there. Following the presentation, attendees can participate in a guided walking tour of the cemetery. All are welcome to attend.

Books about the cemetery’s history will also be available for purchase, with proceeds going toward maintenance of the cemetery.

Mount Washington Forever Cemetery
Mount Washington Forever Cemetery, 614 Brookside Ave., Independence, Mo., will be open extended hours Saturday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Carriage rides will also be available.

National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial
National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial, 100 W. 26th St., Kansas City, Mo., is offering a slew of events in honor of Memorial Day.

The exhibition, “Following My Grandfather’s World War I Diary, A Photographic Journey” will be on display from Saturday, May 28 to Sept. 5. The photography exhibition in Memory Hall is drawn from the numerous trips to Europe made by photographer and writer, Jeff Lowdermilk. Twenty-four vibrant color photographs follow the wartime journey of his grandfather through France and into Germany during the Allied Occupation. The exhibition highlights America’s cemeteries and monuments in France and illustrates the legacy of sacrifice of America’s servicemen and women in World War I.

At 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Lowdermilk will talk about his exhibition and America’s involvement in the Great War and the U.S. Army’s Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives in the fall of 1918. The story will focus on the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Division, in which Lowdermilk’s grandfather served. The program will last approximately 45 minutes and a question and answer session will follow. The free event will take place in the museum’s J.C. Nichols Auditorium.

History of the Medal of Honor, a free lecture, will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. will be held at the J.C. Nichols Auditorium.

Vintage military vehicles from WWII, Korea and Vietnam will be on display Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association “Hell on Wheels” Chapter will display the vintage vehicles on the museum’s southeast lawn. Chapter members will also be available to answer questions.

Also on Sunday will be a Bank of America Celebration at the Station. Kansas City Symphony will perform patriotic favorites against the backdrop of Kansas City’s Union Station. The event will conclude with a fireworks display above the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. The Celebration will be held on the north lawn of the museum.

“Honoring Our History” traveling museum will be unveiled Sunday and includes a WWI gallery. The traveling museum is a custom 18-wheel “big rig” truck that has been transformed into a traveling gallery, complete with artifacts, videos and an authentic walk-through trench. This gallery will visit 75 U.S. cities over the next year. The truck will be parked in front of Union Station and will be open to the public during the first half of Celebration at the Station.

Liberty Memorial will host a Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday at 9:30 a.m. on the south side of the museum. A color guard parade will kick off the ceremony and the American Legion Band will perform. There will also be a dedication of the newly installed Walk of Honor bricks, along with several guests speakers. Former Congressman Ike Skelton will be the keynote speaker. The museum will open at approximately 11 a.m. following the ceremony. Regular museum admission fees will apply. The Honoring Our History traveling museum will also be on display.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, the vintage military vehicles will be on display again from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.