Multiple ceremonies around the Central Coast on Monday will commemorate Memorial Day true meaning by honoring the military’s fallen warriors with ties to Santa Barbara County.

At 11 a.m. Monday, the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive, will host a ceremony that will conclude with an aircraft flyover, according to the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation. 

The event will take place near the main flagpole, with ample seating available.

Guest speakers will include U.S. Space Force Col. Robert Long, commander of Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, and U.S. Coast Guard LTJG Christia Sandstedt from the Coast Guard’s Blackfin.

The open air ceremony includes presentations and performances by the  UCSB ROTC Color Guard; Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band; David Gonzales and the Santa Barbara Choral Society, The Prime Time Band, and a flyover by The Condor Squadron.

Goleta

At the Goleta District Cemetery, 44 South San Antonio Road, a Memorial Day ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. Monday with the program presented by AMVETS Santa Barbara Post 3, VFW Post 1649, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 218.

Speakers will include Wendy Motta, senior district representatives for Rep. Salud Carbajal, Goleta Councilmember James Kyriaco, and Drew Wakefield.

Other participants will include youths and adults, with a full program available here.

Seating is limited and guests who have difficulty standing will be given seating priority. It is recommended that guests bring lawn chairs.

Carpinteria 

The Carpinteria Lions Club organized the ceremony starting at 10 a.m. Monday at the Carpinteria Cemetery, 1501 Cravens Lane.

Navy veteran Clyde Freeman will serve as emcee and Matt Dawson will speak about Wreaths Across America. Stan Graber and Chris Galbraith, who both served in the Navy, will conduct a roll call of the fallen and tolling of the bell before a cannon salute takes place.

Santa Maria Valley

The Santa Maria Cemetery, 1501 S. College Drive, will remember and recognize Army Pfc. Don Dowler, who had been listed as missing in action from the Korean War until his remains were returned to the U.S. and buried. 

The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Monday with welcome speeches by Santa Maria Valley Honor Guard leader Mike Stadnick Jr., American Legion Post 56 Joseph Skoda, and VFW Post 2521 Commander Chris Chatlovsky. 

Col. Bryan Titus, operations vice commander at Vandenberg SFB, will serve as guest speaker. 

In Orcutt, a ceremony will start at 11 a.m. Monday at the Pine Grove Cemetery, South Bradley Road near Stubblefield Road.  

Speakers will include American Legion Post 56 Commander Steve Mainville, Auxiliary President, Lani Sandstrom, Sons of the American Legion member, Robert Walling and Auxiliary Historian and E-Board representative, Libby Walling.

Also in Orcutt, the Santa Maria Elks will pause in pre-rodeo preparations to hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 1 p.m. Monday near the flagpole at Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center’s Gate 2. 

In Guadalupe, Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Heath L. Jennings, Space Launch Delta 30 senior enlisted leader, will be among the speakers at 11 a.m. at the Guadalupe Cemetery, 4655 Main St (Highway 166). 

Mid-County

In the Santa Ynez Valley, the Memorial Day ceremony will start at noon Monday at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Building, 1745 Mission Drive. 

Space Force Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, commander of the Combined Force Space Component Command at Vandenberg and vice commander of Space Operations Command, will be among the speakers. 

In Lompoc, Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Cherise L. Mosley, Space Launch Delta 30 senior enlisted airman, will serve as one a speaker during a ceremony set to start at 11 a.m. Monday at the Lompoc Cemetery, 600 South C St.

In Los Alamos, the ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. Monday at the Los Alamos Cemetery. The event will include a welcome speech by Mike Terry, a brief talk by town historian Mike Farris and the reading of the names of veterans interred at the site. Songs, prayers, flag ceremony and a gun salute also are planned.

Organizers of several of the commemorations will host lunches afterward with details typically announced at the end of the ceremonies.

Before Monday at several of the local cemeteries adult and youth volunteers are expected to place small flags on veterans’ graves in honor of Memorial Day.

Start of a Busy Travel Season

Memorial Day weekend also signals the start of the summer travel season, and California Highway Patrol officers will be out in force for the next few days, thanks in part to a grant-funded effort.

Officers from the CHP’s Santa Barbara, Buellton and Santa Maria areas will deploy for enhanced enforcement patrol particularly on Highways 101, 1, 154, 192, and 246 along with other roadways in their jurisdiction.

“This grant will allow for heightened enforcement of our traffic laws and the removal of dangerous impaired drivers from our roadways,” said Capt. Michael Logie, commander of the CHP Santa Barbara Area office.

“Driving is a huge responsibility that needs to be taken seriously. Your safety and the safety of others is in your hands every time you get behind the wheel,” said Lt. Eric Zivic, commander of the CHP Buellton Area office.

The Automobile Club of Southern California estimated some 3.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more away from home this weekend, a 7.7% increase from 2022 and higher than before the pandemic began.

Officials expect the weekend will kick off an especially busy summer travel season on roads and at airports.