Memorial Day ceremony set for Monday in Sikeston

SIKESTON – The community of Sikeston will observe Memorial Day with a service at 10:30 a.m. Monday, May 29 at Sikeston Veterans Park.

In the event of rain, the service will be held at the First Christian Church.

Local veterans from the Sikeston Veterans Park Committee, American Legion and VFW will participate in the service. Perry Harper, minister of

music at Miner Baptist Church, will sing the national anthem. Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Rick Sherman will present the wreath. A 21-gun salute

will be provided by the Sikeston Department of Public Safety, and Ethan Bartlett will render “Taps.”

Honored guest and speaker will be Sikeston resident and retired Missouri National Guard Master Sgt. Michael K. Harris Sr. A lifelong resident of Sikeston, Harris enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard in 1984 and retired in 2007. He deployed to Iraq in 2005 and served as the NCOIC with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers near Balad, Iraq. Harris served as a Sikeston city councilman and past president of Southeast Missouri State University’s Foundation Board. He continues to serve on numerous non-profit boards and committees in Sikeston. These include Mission Missouri, Sikeston Veterans Park and Sikeston Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee. As pastor of the Open-Door Fellowship Ministries, Harris developed community gardens, empowering people to gain additional income while providing healthy food.

Following the service, the American Legion Auxiliary will provide lunch for veterans and their families at the Post located on South Kingshighway in Sikeston.