The Central Coast will remember fallen military members during multiple ceremonies set for Monday at cemeteries and other locations around Santa Barbara County. 

Ahead of the events, volunteers of all ages will place flags on the graves of veterans at several local cemeteries, harkening back to the origins of a recognition that began as  Decoration Day after the Civil War.

Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971, and later efforts have involved encouraging people to hold a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. by pausing wherever they are for a moment of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation.

South Coast

At the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive, the ceremony will start at 11 a.m. near the main flagpole with guest speakers including Army Lt. Col. Joe Ruhl, commanding officer of the UCSB ROTC program, plus retired Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Fred Lopez.

The Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649 organize the ceremony. Attendees are urged to arrive early. 

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

The Goleta Cemetery District will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. Monday at the Veterans Memorial, 44 S. San Antonio Road. 

Speakers will include Assemblyman Gregg Hart, Councilman James Kyriaco, retired Army Col. Art Kaslow and Congressman Salud Carbajal, organizers said. The keynote speech will be delivered by Drew Wakefield.  

The full program is available by clicking here. 

Seating is limited, and guests who have difficulty standing will be given seating priority. Guests should bring lawn chairs. Parking is extremely limited, so attendees are encouraged to carpool or take alternative transportation if possible. 

At the Carpinteria Valley Cemetery, 1501 Cravens Lane, the Lions Club organized the ceremony set to start at 10 a.m. Monday.

Former sailor Clyde Freeman will serve as master of ceremonies, with the event including a roll call of the community’s fallen warriors and the tolling of the bell along with a presentation on Wreaths Across America and a cannon salute. 

Also Monday in Santa Barbara, Auxiliary Bishop Sławomir Szkredka for the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region will lead the Memorial Day Mass, which commemorates the memory of those who served the country, at Calvary Cemetery in Santa Barbara, 199 N. Hope Ave.

Mass is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Monday, and immediately after the Mass, Szkredka will bless the cemetery’s new burial section dedicated to the memory of St. John Vianney, known as the patron saint of parish priests.

Santa Maria Valley 

Several ceremonies are planned in the Santa Maria Valley to note Memorial Day.

At the Santa Maria Cemetery, 1501 S. College Drive, Col. Mark Shoemaker, Space Launch Delta 30 commander at Vandenberg Space Force Base, will be among several speakers for the ceremony starting at 11 a.m. near the veterans memorial.  

In Orcutt, veterans and community members will gather at Pine Grove Cemetery, on South Bradley Road near Stubblefield Road, for an 11 a.m.  ceremony organized by American Legion Post 534. Speakers will include Col. Michael Jewell from Vandenberg.

At 1 p.m. Monday, volunteers at the Santa Maria Elks/Unocal Event Center, 4040 Highway 101, will pause to mark Memorial Day. The ceremony will take place at the memorial and flag  poles near Gate 2.

At the Guadalupe Cemetery, at the corner of West Main and Guadalupe streets (Highways 166 and 1), the ceremony will take place near the flagpole, starting at 11 a.m. with multiple speakers including Col. Phillip Verroco from Vandenberg.

Lompoc, Santa Ynez Valleys

The Lompoc Valley ceremony will start at 11 a.m. Monday at the Lompoc Cemetery, 600 South C St., where Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, leader of U.S. Space Forces-Space and the Combined Joint Force Space Component at Vandenberg SFB, will be among the speakers. 

The Solvang Veterans Memorial Building, 1745 Mission Drive, will serve as the site of the Santa Ynez Valley’s largest ceremony, starting at noon Monday.

Col. Bryan Titus, vice commander for Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg, will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers include Marine Corps Sgt. Jeffrey Willis. 

The ceremony organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars will include music by the Santa Ynez Valley Chorale.

The Flat Fender Club will display its unique collection of military vehicles in front of the Veterans Hall.

The Solvang Vikings will host a free tri-tip barbecue sandwich luncheon, with assistance from the Santa Ynez Valley Daughters of the American Revolution and the Santa Ynez Valley Community Outreach Foundation.

Before the noon event, the public is invited to attend smaller ceremonies planned for Monday morning around the Santa Ynez Valley. 

These ceremonies by the American Legion will start at 10 a.m. at Chalk Hill Cemetery in Solvang, 10:30 a.m. at Mission Santa Ines Cemetery in Solvang, 11 .m. at Oak Hill Cemetery in Ballard and 11:30 a.m. at St. Mark’s Cemetery in Los Olivos.