Pandemic prompts cancellation of official Memorial Day events

It will be an unusually quiet Memorial Day around South Sound.

The Washington Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) is unable to hold traditional Memorial Day observances this year, which includes traditional public ceremonies, due to gathering restrictions in place from the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

Instead, cemeteries in Medical Lake, Orting and Port Orchard will simply display wreaths, donated by community groups.

Other public events typically associated with Memorial Day, including placement of flags at grave sites by volunteers, couldn’t take place either to comply with physical distancing restrictions. WDVA instead placed the flags to ensure veterans are honored and remembered.

Cemetery visitors are asked to adhere to CDC guidelines and maintain physical distancing while visiting. Families may continue the tradition of placing flowers and small American flags at their loved one’s grave sites.

Pets and the use of any tobacco or vaping devices are prohibited on cemetery grounds.

To read Gov. Inslee’s Memorial Day proclamation, go to https://www.dva.wa.gov/proclamation-2020-memorial-day-0

Services affected by holiday

Thurston County and its municipalities will observe the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. While most offices already are closed because of the pandemic, remote services alo will not be available. All service options will resume on Tuesday.

The county’s Waste and Recovery Center (WARC) in Lacey will be open 7 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Visit www.ThurstonSolidWaste.org for more information. Check with your waste disposal company for curbside garbage and recycling collection schedule.

All county parks are open with limited use guidelines during regular park hours. This includes Burfoot, Frye Cove, Kenneydell, and the Deschutes Falls parks, along with the Off-Leash Dog Park and Closed Loop Park located near the WARC.

This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 1:28 PM.