MARSHALL — On Monday, residents of area communities will be pausing to remember the sacrifices of U.S. military service members with a variety of Memorial Day programs.

In the Marshall area, Memorial Day observances will include visits to local cemeteries, as well as a program at Liberty Park.

Members of the Marshall American Legion and VFW posts will visit Lynd Cemetery at 8 a.m. Monday, followed by the Green Valley Cemetery at 8:45, the Marshall Cemetery at 9:15 and Calvary Cemetery at 9:45.

The main Memorial Day program will be held at Liberty Park at 1 a.m. Patrick Nelson, a veteran from Wood Lake, will be the guest speaker at the program.

People attending the Marshall program should keep in mind that street reconstruction work means East College Drive is closed to traffic between Main Street and the bridge near Liberty Park.

Some Memorial Day observances in southwest Minnesota will take place before Monday. Memorial Weekend programs will be held Sunday at Minnesota veterans cemeteries. The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Redwood Falls will hold a Memorial Day program on Sunday, with music starting at 1:30 p.m. and the main program starting at 2 p.m.

There are a lot of opportunities to attend Memorial Day programs around southwest Minnesota. Below is a listing of some of the area programs.

Canby

A Memorial Day program will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in Central Park, or at Canby High School in case of inclement weather. Pat Timmerman, a Gold Star mother, will be the guest speaker. Following the program, a free lunch will be available for veterans and their spouses, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Heroes.

Cottonwood

A Memorial Day program will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Cottonwood Community Center. National Guard member Jaden Hoffman will be the keynote speaker, and Kayla Daniels will provide music.

Currie

Memorial Day observances and a program will be held in Currie on Monday morning. Members of American Legion Post 322 will visit Willow Lake Cemetery at 9 a.m., End-O-Line Park at 9:30 a.m., Pioneer Cemetery at 9:45 a.m., and the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Cemetery at 10 a.m. A memorial wreath will be laid at the bridge in Currie at 10:30 a.m.

A Memorial Day program will start at 11 a.m. at the Currie Fire Hall. Following the program, a lunch will be served by the Currie Ladies Auxiliary and Sons of Legion Post 322.

Echo

A Memorial Day program will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Echo Community Center. Observances will continue at the cemetery following the program. After that, a potluck meal will be served back at the Community Center.

Granite Falls

A Memorial Day program will be held at noon at Veterans Plaza. Following the program, lunch will be served at the American Legion. A free-will donation will be accepted.

Hanley Falls

A Memorial Day program will be held 9 a.m. Monday at Yellow Medicine Lutheran Church. Memorial Day observances at the cemetery will be at 9:45 a.m.

Hendricks

A Memorial Day program will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Hendricks Public School.

Ivanhoe

A Memorial Day service will be held at 9 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial site in Ivanhoe. The guest speaker will be retired Maj. Ryan Boom. Outdoor memorial services will be held at the veterans memorial site at Ivanhoe Cemetery, at the Wilno Cemetery and at the Arco Cemetery.

Lake Benton

A Memorial Day program will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Lake Benton Opera House. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Brendan Rolling. There will be a rifle volley following the program, and coffee and cookies will be served at the Lake Benton American Legion.

Minneota

A Memorial Day program will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the American Legion hall. Steve Kjorness will be the guest speaker. The program will conclude at Veterans Park in Minneota.

Slayton

Memorial Day observances and a program will be held in the Slayton area on Monday morning. Cemetery programs will be held at 8 a.m. at the Hadley (Highland Home) Cemetery, at 8:45 a.m. at Memorial Gardens Cemetery, at 9:15 a.m. at St. Ann’s Cemetery, and at 9:45 a.m. at Slayton North Cemetery. A memorial wreath will be placed in the river at 9:40 a.m., and Memorial Day observances at the Murray County Veteran’s Memorial will be at 10 a.m.

A joint Memorial Day program for Slayton and Avoca will be held at 11 a.m. at Murray County Central School. Following the program, a lunch will be served at the Murray County Fairgrounds 4-H building.

Tracy

A Memorial Day program will be held at 9:30 a.m. at the Caboose in Tracy.

Walnut Grove

A Memorial Day program will be held at 9:30 a.m. Monday at Westbrook-Walnut Grove Elementary.

Westbrook

A Memorial Day program will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the Westbrook-Walnut Grove High School gymnasium.