BRUNSWICK

Communities across the nation and in the Midcoast on Monday will honor those who died while in service of their country with a mix of festive parades and solemn services.

The Brunswick-Topsham Memorial Day Parade will have a full lineup. An observance by the Topsham town office starts at 8:45 a.m. The 2.5-mile parade will start by the Topsham town office at 9 a.m., halting over the Frank J. Wood Bridge at 9:30 a.m. for a Burial at Sea Wreath Ceremony. The parade will continue down Maine Street in Brunswick to the end of the Brunswick Mall, where a Memorial Day ceremony will start at 11 a.m.

Participants include members of all five branches of the service, veterans organizations, community members, local businesses, civic organizations and school groups from both communities.

Parade Committee Chairwoman Tasha Connors said that, unlike previous years, there is no theme to the parade, beyond the mission of Memorial Day itself.

“We are trying to leave it a little more open,” she said.

She estimated there may be about 50 floats in this year’s parade — a little higher than usual.

This year’s grand marshal is retired Adm. Harry Rich of Harpswell. Born in Searsport and raised in Union, he joined the Navy at age 17 in 1943. He started out as a pilot in a transportation squadron in the Pacific, but spent most of his career serving in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, according to a biography provided by Connors.

Rich retired after 35 years of active naval service as a rear admiral, after serving as the commander of Anti-submarine Forces-Atlantic Fleet. While on active duty, he served several tours at Brunswick Naval Air Station. He is now on the board of directors of the Brunswick Naval Museum and Memorial Gardens.

The parade, a rain or shine event, kicks off with antique cars as usual, followed by the Woodside One Wheelers. Both Brunswick and Topsham American Legions will have floats in the parade.

Brunswick and Mt. Ararat high school bands are in the parade and the St. John’s Catholic School band will return this year. A group of Patriot Riders will also be in the parade along with multiple motorcycle groups, according to Connors.

The Topsham observance will feature the music from the Mt. Ararat High School band, Maine Public Safety Pipe and Drum Band, and vocalist and trumpet solos by Mt. Ararat students.

Connors said the upper portion of Monument Place in Topsham will close at 7 a.m. to make way for parade participants. The section of Main Street by the Topsham town office will close at 8:30 a.m. and the section beyond Elm Street normally closes at 9 a.m.

While some start parking cars on Maine Street in Brunswick at 4 a.m., Connors said coming out early isn’t necessarily the best strategy as there is usually plenty of space if people move north toward Topsham.

The Memorial Day observance on the Brunswick Mall starts at 11 a.m. Featured speaker will be Allen Oakes of Topsham, who was drafted into the Army in 1963. Oakes served for nearly 14 months in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, two Army Commendation Medals, two Presidential Unit Citations, the Vietnam Gallantry Cross and two Humanitarian Service Medals.

After returning home from Vietnam, Oakes went back to work for Kaman Aircraft in Bloomfield, Connecticut, where he was working before being drafted. He worked on C- 5A flaps as a Class A sheet metal mechanic. He soon joined the Connecticut National Guard as a sergeant with the 26th Aviation Battalion in Bradley Field in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. There he earned his flight air crewman wings and was certified as a crew chief on the OH-6 Observation helicopters.

Both Oakes and his wife, Irene, have lived in Topsham for 34 years and are both retired from civil service.

Other Memorial Day events in the Midcoast are taking place in:

 Bath — A ceremony will take place at 8 a.m. Monday at the Civil War monument in Oak Grove Cemetery, followed by a procession to the river, where a wreath will be placed. The parade will begin at the American Legion Smith Tobey Post 21, continue down Lincoln Street to Centre Street and onto Front Street into Library Park. There will then be a ceremony at the war monument in Library Park, where remembrance wreaths will be placed.

 Dresden — The Lincoln County Historical is hosting a Memorial Day observance at 11 a.m. Monday at the flag pole on the parade grounds of the Pownalborough Court House. Masonic Chaplain Bruce Alexander of Dresden, assisted by a local Revolutionary War Living History group, will lead a program of honor for fallen soldiers. After being called to order, the gathered will proceed up the woods road a few hundred yards to the Court House cemetery where veteran soldiers of three wars will be remembered. Everyone will then return to the flag pole for the raising of colors to full staff followed by a gun salute.

 Durham — The town’s Memorial Day parade will begin at 10 a.m. Monday, starting at Davis Road, traveling down Royalsborough Road and ending at Durham Community School.

A Memorial Day Fun Fair will take place at Durham Community School after the parade, until 1 p.m.

There will also be a benefit lunch in the cafeteria as a fundraiser for a fifth grade trip to the 4-H Camp an Learning Center at Bryant Pond.

Also taking place Monday is the AmVets 5K Fun Run, with proceeds supporting AmVets Post 13. Check-in will take place at 7 a.m. at AmVets Post 13, located at 1049 Royalsborough Road, with the race to start at 8 a.m.

 Freeport — The parade will leave Holbrook Street at 9:30 a.m. Monday and end at the town park on Bow Street, where a ceremony will take place at 10 a.m.

 Harpswell — A wreath-tossing ceremony will take place at 10:15 a.m. Monday on Ewing Narrows Bridge. At 11 a.m., a parade will leave the Old Town House at Lookout Point, ending at Allen Point Road. Refreshments will follow at Centennial Hall.

 Lisbon — The parade begins at Crafts Cars on Route 196 at 9 a.m. Monday, ending at Coombs-Monfort Post 158 on Webster Street. There will be refreshments provided for children who marched in the parade. Later, a chicken barbecue will take place for veterans and families at Post 158 beginning at noon.

 Richmond — Starting at 7:30 a.m. Monday, members of American Legion Post 132 in Richmond will visit eight cemeteries in Richmond, Dresden and Bowdoinham. Post commander Brenda Dearborn, a honor guard and chaplain will be on hand to conduct the special ceremonies.

Richmond’s parade will begin at 11 a.m. The parade will begin at the high school and make its way down Main Street. When the parade reaches the waterfront park, a wreath-laying ceremony will take place before the flag is raised to full staff. The parade will then make its way back up to the high school. Refreshments will be available for participants at the American Legion hall on Carding Machine Road.

 Wiscasset — A Memorial Day observance will be hosted by American Legion Post 54 of Wiscasset at 9 a.m. Monday at the Wiscasset Town Office, followed by coffee and doughnuts at the post’s hall at 523 Bath Road.

TIMES RECORD REPORTERS Chris Quattrucci and Nathan Strout contributed to this report.