STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

Wood River Valley residents can honor the nation’s fallen soldiers Monday during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Hailey Cemetery and the Ketchum Cemetery.

Both ceremonies start at 11 a.m.

Hailey’s ceremony will feature guest speaker Mike Shaughnessy, Higher Ground’s new CEO. It will also feature a color guard and music by the Caritas Chorale.

There will be no flyover this year due to Mountain Home Air Force Base’s current missions, said ceremony organizer Geegee Lowe.

The Ketchum Memorial Day Ceremony will feature as guest speaker Blaine County Sheriff Morgan Ballis, a former Marine. Colla Voce, an elite high school group, will provide music.

The Hailey Memorial Day Ceremony has been a tradition in Hailey since the 1880s, said Geegee Lowe.

“During the ceremony, we will place a Memorial wreath on the Blaine County Veterans monument in the Hailey Cemetery,” she said. “Mountain Home Air Force Honor Guard will present colors and Caritas Chorale members will sing tributes to our service members and families,” she said. “There will be golf cart assistance for those that might need support.”

Community volunteers will place flags and carnations on more than 450 veterans’ graves. They will be on display through dusk May 25.

And the Hailey Maintenance Cemetery District will host on Open House on Saturday and Sunday, May 23-24, in its office at 511 Maple St.

“We encourage all to come to help us honor the true meaning of Memorial Day,” said Lowe. “We embrace this community gathering in remembrance of our fallen Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines who we must never forget. While we can never fully repay our debt to America’s fallen warriors and their families, we can remember their service and honor their sacrifice.”