Members of the Boyne City American Legion stand at parade rest, and listen quietly to the ceremony at the Wilson Township Cemetery. BY Vic Ruggles

Under a blue sky, the crowds watched and applauded as veterans walked in the parade down Lake Street to the park. A stop was made on the bridge over the Boyne River to pay tribute to those lost at sea.

The Boyne City High School Band in their red and white uniforms looked and sounded grand in the parade and at the service.

Following behind the service men and women, people settled in at Veterans Park and quietly listened to the words honoring those veterans who died in service to the country.

Evelyn Gould was in the crowd, but for 30 or more years she said she had carried the flag in the parade. Woody Austin, a U.S. Navy GM3 who served in the South Pacific during World War II, watched the proceedings. A special tribute was made to Maxine Hough, former commander of the American Legion Post in Boyne City, who died at the age of 84 on May 18.

A Boyne City Middle School student, Andrew Blossom, summed up Memorial Day. "It's good to be reminded of our American veterans," he said.