YORK COUNTY — Residents in York County’s cities and its small towns will mark Memorial Day on  with parades and ceremonies to honor veterans who died while serving in the military. While most events are on Monday, Arundel’s service is scheduled for Sunday. Here is a list of some of them:

In Alfred, a parade will be held 9 a.m. Monday from Saco Road to the village green, where a ceremony will take place. The annual event alternates between Alfred and Waterboro and is hosted by the Brown-Emmons Post, American Legion.

In Arundel, a Memorial Day ceremony will be conducted in Arundel on Sunday, May 26 at 11 a.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial at the Fire Station on Limerick Road. The event is hosted by the Arundel Historical Society.

In Biddeford and Saco, Memorial Day events begin with an opening ceremony at 9:45 a.m. at Biddeford’s Veterans Memorial Park, on the corner of Alfred and Pool streets. Guest speaker will be Sergeant First Class Clifford W. Oliver, who served in the U.S., Germany, Kuwait and Afghanistan, and is now program director at the Community Bike Center.

The Master of Ceremony is Michael Merrill of Volunteers of America; Grand Marshal is former State Legislator and former Saco City Councilor Linda Valentino. Rev. Shirley Bowen, of Seeds of Hope, is chaplain for the ceremony.

The ceremony also serve as a dedication for a restored World War 1 Mortar, by local historian Dana Peck.

Immediately following the ceremony, the Memorial Day parade will proceed from Alfred Street to Main Street then onto Saco’s Main Street. This year’s parade features veterans from the American Legion and AMVETS, as well as performances from Thornton Academy and Biddeford High School bands, Saco and Biddeford middle school bands, and local Scouting troops and dance troupes, among others.

The community is invited to AMVETS Post #1 in Biddeford for a luncheon following the parade.

The parade will take place rain or shine. However, if conditions are forecast to be more severe, an indoor location will be announced on Friday, May 24.

In Kennebunk, the Memorial Day parade, at 2 p.m. Monday, features the Kennebunk High School marching band. It starts at Town Hall, winds down Main Street to High Street and back again, stopping for a brief gun salute ceremony at the Mousam River bridge.

In Kennebunkport, the Memorial Day parade in Dock Square will start on Temple Street at 9:30 a.m. Monday and wind its way along Spring Street and down Western Avenue to Cooper’s Corner in Kennebunk and back again. A gun salute will be held at the Mathew Lanigan Bridge. Half an hour later, a smaller version of the parade regroups at Cape Porpoise for a second parade.

Limerick residents can observe the annual Memorial Day Parade on Main Street in Limerick starting at 11 a.m. Retired Staff Sergeant Dave Lancaster will be the guest speaker. The event is hosted by White-Tibbetts Post 55 American Legion.

In Lyman, the annual Memorial Day parade starts at 1 p.m. on Waterhouse Road near the mill pond in Goodwin’s Mills and will end at the Lyman Town Hall on South Waterboro Road.
The parade will pause at the monument on John Street for the annual Memorial Service, which includes patriotic music, and an invocation and benediction by local clergy. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts will conduct readings, the placing of a wreath in remembrance of the community’s fallen heroes and a guest speaker who will provide insight into this special day.

In Old Orchard Beach, the Memorial Day Parade will be held at 1 p.m., from the intersection of E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard and Saco Avenue, down Saco Avenue to the Town Hall, turning right down Old Orchard Street and right onto First Street and into Memorial Park, where a ceremony will follow. Grand Marshal and guest speaker will be Retired Four-Star General William Begert.

In Sanford, wreath laying begins at 6:45 a.m. when veterans meet at Roberts Street and make their way to St. Ignatius and Oakdale cemeteries, Soldier’s and Sailor’s Park and on to Riverside and Notre Dame cemeteries and to the Gazebo on Main Street in Springvale. At 9:30 a.m., a wreath will be placed on the waters of Number One Pond.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. and terminates at Central Park in Sanford.

Master of Ceremonies is Sanford High School teacher and local historian Paul Auger. Grand Marshal is VFW Post Commander and past State Commander James Bachelder. Guest Speaker will be Joe Doiron, who has led the Fallen Veterans Project in the Sanford School Department for the past five years.

A ceremony at Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery on Stanley Road  is set for 1 p.m.

In Wells, the Memorial Day Parade gets underway at 9 a.m. from Wells High School to Sanford Road (Route 109),  east to Post Road (U.S. Route 1) and south along Post Road to Ocean View Cemetery.

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Wells Lodge 2738, will lay a wreath at the grave sites of brothers Elbridge and Leroy Hansen who were killed in action during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, France, in October 1918. BPOE Officer Tom Chase will commemorate the day with patriotic readings. The soldiers of the 262nd Engineer Company, Maine National Guard will be on hand with their military vehicles; Wells High and Junior High School marching bands will be performing and the Wells High School  “A Cappella Chorus” will sing patriotic songs.

First responders — police, fire, and Wells EMS — will be on hand with the Color Guard and emergency vehicles to round out the parade procession. Gold Star families, veterans, or active service members who would like to participate in this year’s parade should contact the Wells volunteer and event coordinator at 361-8130.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.