And suddenly, it’s Memorial Day. The unofficial start to summer. A weekend of remembering those who are gone.

Observed on the last Monday of May, Memorial Day was originally set aside to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and decorating graves, holding family gatherings and participating in parades and other ceremonies.

Local honor guard members and other veterans groups treat Memorial Day — and their stops at various cemeteries to play taps and salute the dead — as a sacred duty.

In Cloquet, the events of the day culminate with an 11:30 a.m. program at Veterans Park. Troy Smith will be the master of ceremonies, with Carlton County sheriff Kelly Lake as the guest speaker. Mark Goad will provide music for the services. There will be a flag raising, roll call of deceased veterans and a salute to departed comrades by the Cloquet Combined Honor Guard. Cloquet services are a joint effort of the American Legion Post 262, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3979, Disabled Veterans Chapter 18 and their auxiliaries, plus the Fond du Lac Honor Guard and American Ex-Prisoners of War.

In Carlton, the largest ceremony will take place at Hillside Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. The Honor Guard and others will end their morning tour with a flag raising and potluck dinner at the Carlton VFW at 11:50 a.m.

The Floodwood VFW and Legion will be at the park in Wright for services at 8 a.m. Monday. They will also make stops at the Fine Lakes Cemetery at 9 a.m., Van Buren at 10 a.m., Cedar Valley at 11 a.m. and the Hope Lutheran Cemetery at noon, followed by lunch at the Savannah in Floodwood.

Finally, anyone who would like to plant a tree in memory of a loved one is welcome to stop by the Pine Knot News office at 122 Avenue C between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday to pick up a free tree seedling: black spruce and jack pine are available.

Following is a complete schedule of stops on Memorial Day for both the Cloquet and Carlton veterans groups:

Carlton VFW Post 2962 Honor Guard and Auxiliary

7:45 a.m. Eagle Lake

8:10 a.m. Cromwell

8:50 a.m. Atkinson

9:30 a.m. Elim Lutheran

9:55 a.m. Oak Lake

10:25 a.m. Holyoke

11:05 a.m. St. John’s

11:30 a.m. Carlton Hillside Cemetery

Flag raising at Carlton Post 11:50 a.m.

Cloquet Combined Honor Guard

8:15 a.m. Highway 210, Sawyer

8:30 a.m. Saints Mary and Joseph, Sawyer

8:45 a.m. Holy Family Mission

9:15 a.m. Maple Grove

9:30 a.m. New Calvary

9:50 a.m. Hill between old cemeteries, above Pinehurst Park

10:20 a.m. Apostolic Church, Esko

10:45 a.m. St. Mathews cemetery, North Cloquet Road

11:05 a.m. Pine River, North Highway 33

11:30 a.m. Veterans Park program