City remembers veterans’ sacrifice on Memorial Day

The City of Wilson will observe Memorial Day on Monday, May 25, with a televised and streamed service in honor of the country’s veterans, especially those who died for our freedoms.

The Wilson Committee on Patriotism’s annual Memorial Day service will begin at 10 a.m. Monday and will be shown live on Wilson’s Channel 8 on Greenlight and other local cable systems.

It will be streamed online at  https://vimeo.com/422153271

Typically the Memorial Day service is performed on the Wilson County Courthouse Plaza with more than 200 people in attendance, weather permitting, but the Committee on Patriotism decided to do the ceremony without an in-person audience because of COVID-19 restrictions,

“We want to protect our veterans’ health as much as possible, plus we have had great community support,” Committee Chairman Ray Chambers said. “The broadcast will still let us come together as a community and honor those who have died to protect our freedoms.”

The City of Wilson’s communications team and the City Clerk’s Office worked with the committee to plan the service. It will be broadcast from City Council chambers, which has been used previously as a rain location.

Wilson Mayor Carlton Stevens will give the main address and Miss Wilson 2020 Maddie McFarland will sing the National Anthem and other patriotic music.

The event will include the POW/MIA ceremony, the placing of wreath to honor all fallen veterans and other favorite parts of the event, but some portions will be eliminated.

“We have always involved the junior ROTC units from the three high schools, but we couldn’t do it this year with the schools all out,” Chambers said.