Visitors gathered at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg on Sunday over Memorial Day weekend. Many were volunteers who marked gravesites with American flags as they made sure veterans laid to rest there were not forgotten. For some, the visit was personal as they paused beside the engravings with names of loved ones.
Here are some Memorial Day events taking place today:
Memorial Day at the Cemetery: The Orlando Devil Dogs — Young Marines Unit honors fallen soldiers with a presentation of the colors. Free. 9 a.m.-noon. Bushnell National Cemetery, 6502 SW 102nd Ave., Brooksville.
Memorial Day Ceremony: The city of Largo marks the holiday with live music and a presentation of the colors by the City of Largo Fire and Police Department Honor Guard. Free. 11 a.m.-2 p.m.. Largo Central Park, 101 Central Park Drive. 727-587-6740, ext. 5014.
To Honor and Remember: There will be a parade of military vehicles, a remembrance ceremony and a reception with food and drinks. Anyone dressed or decorated in holiday decor is invited to join the parade. Free. 1:30 p.m. VFW Post 2550, 360 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. 727-733-6107.
Martha Dilley, 95, left, and her son David Dilley, 64, right, of Seminole, pause at their husband and father’s gravesite.
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A rose seen taped onto a memorial.
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Local cyclist clubs leave after an annual ride through the cemetery.
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Cathy Normington, 74, of St. Petersburg, prepares flowers in the trunk of her vehicle. Normington visited four family members who were in the military as her husband who has back problems cannot make the visit. “I’m very proud of them, and I love America because my family came here and saved our lives here. We left Vietnam because it is hard to live, so I appreciate it. That’s why I keep working and working. I want to payback what I owe America,” Normington said. “I make sure everybody has some flowers and I talk to them…I always find time to come.”
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Normington waters flowers for family members she plans to visit. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ]
Normington sets fresh flowers on the gravesite of her husband’s aunt, who she cared for in life.
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A bouquet of flowers seen by a tombstone.
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Presley Nicholls, 6, of Largo, who is with Girls Scouts of West Central Florida and Tampa’s troop 599, does a cartwheel after volunteering.
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Volunteer Ava Gaddini, 8, of Trinity, holds American flags as she reads the name on a tombstone after replacing a broken flag pole with a new one. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ]
:format(webP)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/AV4TK6KM7RFY7NV52UQAILBKEM.JPG "American flags seen by tombstones at Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg on Memorial Day weekend.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/6ISD5G3YZBBVHGVO7NDZ4X6JQI.JPG "Martha Dilley, 95, left, and her son David Dilley, 64, right, of Seminole, pause at their husband and father’s gravesite.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/QJBY6UQPKZGYLL6OTBPSOXXKXM.JPG "A rose seen taped onto a memorial.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JRV6SE2QHJH3JGEAUVEB7YEX2Q.JPG "Local cyclist clubs leave after an annual ride through the cemetery.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/COFJL5D36FDDPAT2Y6CVF4UFWU.JPG "Cathy Normington, 74, of St. Petersburg, prepares flowers in the trunk of her vehicle. Normington visited four family members who were in the military as her husband who has back problems cannot make the visit. “I’m very proud of them, and I love America because my family came here and saved our lives here. We left Vietnam because it is hard to live, so I appreciate it. That’s why I keep working and working. I want to payback what I owe America,” Normington said. “I make sure everybody has some flowers and I talk to them…I always find time to come.”")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/P2MN4N2AMVBKJNVESLG6DJUG7I.JPG "Normington waters flowers for family members she plans to visit.")
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/R4ZXMXDVOJCZ7EWQ7LMAMIFWPQ.JPG "Volunteer Ava Gaddini, 8, of Trinity, holds American flags as she reads the name on a tombstone after replacing a broken flag pole with a new one.")
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