On Monday, May 29th at 11:00 A.M., the Sonoma Valley Joint Memorial Day Observance will take place for the 65th time in the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park located north of the plaza and adjacent to the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Hall building. This event has become a preeminent annual gathering for local veterans, their families, and friends. This year’s event is particularly special because it also marks the 18th year since the unveiling of the Star of Honor fountain, which is now the centerpiece of the park. The event is organized and planned every year by the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park Association whose members are local Sonoma Valley residents who represent every major veteran organization located within the Sonoma Valley.
The ceremony will feature a Grand March at the opening, and veterans are invited to wear their best military uniforms or appropriate attire. Veterans who want to participate in this Grand March are requested to muster at 10:30 A.M. sharp beneath the flag of their branch of the armed forces in the parking lot. The event’s Guest of Honor and keynote speaker is San Francisco native Tony Lazzarini, a combat veteran, business owner, playwright, author, and filmmaker. He served two consecutive tours in Vietnam with the U.S. Army’s 25th Aviation Battalion in 1966 and 1967, completing over 250 missions as a door gunner on a UH-1D (Huey) assault helicopter and received several decorations for Valor.
The ceremony will include patriotic music throughout the ceremony from the Sonoma Hometown Band directed by John Patridge (with narrator Butch Engle). The U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Petaluma will provide the official Color Guard and Travis U.S. Air Force Base will provide the Rifle Salute detail. The Civil Air Patrol Cadet Color Guard (Redwood Empire Composite Squadron 157) will provide the youth Color Guard. The “Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” will be sung by local vocalist Sheila Whitney. David Winter will play bagpipes and bugler Chris Severson will play Taps. Carl “Chip” Allen, a local attorney, and U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served as a U.S. Navy Submarine officer will be the Master of Ceremonies. Gene Campagna, a local U.S Army veteran of the Vietnam War will give the Invocation. The Reverend Peadar A. Dalton, who is an active member and former President of the Sonoma Valley Ministerial Association, will give the Benediction. The Native Sons of the Golden West will be the parking lot attendants and the members of Temple Lodge No. 14 of Free and Accepted Masons in Sonoma will be the official event ushers. Devyn Breslin, Miss Sonoma County 2023, and Julia Olson, Sonoma County’s Outstanding Teen 2023, will lead The Pledge of Allegiance. A special Memorial Day Tribute Poem will be read by its composer Olyn Hicks who served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and a special Proclamation will be given by Sandra Lowe the Mayor of the City of Sonoma. The ceremony will conclude with an Aerial Fly-Over of various military-inspired civilian aircraft flown by the Sonoma Sky Park Aviators, honoring the memory of all military aviators and airmen who have given their lives in the service of the country. It will also honor the memory of 5-Star General Henry “Hap” H. Arnold, who founded the U.S. Air Force and made the Sonoma Valley his home following the Second World War.
Immediately following the ceremony, the annual “All-American Picnic,” jointly hosted by the Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley, the Rotary Club of Sonoma Sunrise, and the Rotary Club of Sonoma Springs, will be served free of charge at the Veterans Building. Members of these local Rotary Clubs will grill the hamburgers and hotdogs in honor of the memory of the late Howard (Howie) Ehret, a retired U.S. Navy Captain who was a highly energetic community leader, volunteer, and Rotarian. The Rotarians will be greatly assisted by the picnic’s founder Ruth Parks Chambers along with the Native Daughters of the Golden West. The picnic is complimentary to veterans and their families and friends, but there will be a “Star of Honor” pledge drive during the event to collect donations needed to maintain and improve the Sonoma Veterans Memorial Park and assist toward the expense of applying the names of local deceased veterans for a three-hundred-year period beginning with the American Revolution to the Star of Honor fountain which was designed by the late Sonoma artist Robert Behrens. As most local veterans are aware, both the Memorial Park and Fountain would not exist today without the vision, leadership and financial support of the late Second World War U.S. Navy veteran James “Jim” L. Parks and his family.
The event is an opportunity for the community to come together to remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country. It’s also a chance to celebrate the bravery and courage of all veterans and to show gratitude for their service. As the day draws near, the anticipation and excitement for this special annual hometown event continue to grow, and organizers expect an audience of more than 1,000 people to attend. Seating is limited and the weather is normally hot and sunny this time of year. Although pop-up tent canopies will provide shade for many in the audience, not every chair will be under these canopies. Therefore, it is highly recommended to arrive early and wear a hat or sun visor.
Add to Google CalendarSonoma Veterans Memorial Park
126 1st Street West
- Sonoma