The sun shone down on the City of Ames as the Memorial Day parade started this morning in front of City Hall. 

Sponsored by the Ames Patriotic Council, the parade started at City Hall and ended with a memorial service at the Ames Municipal Cemetery. Veterans and their families walk and rode in classic cars, and an Ames Fire Department fire truck made an appearance in the procession as well. Aaron Rosheim, recruiting operations officer for Iowa State’s Army ROTC program, served as parade marshall, and could be seen riding with his children along the parade route.

The parade processed down Clark Avenue and Ninth Street, before processing down the “Avenue of Flags” at the entrance to the Ames Municipal Cemetery. It was named so for the large American flags that lined the streets leading up to the cemetery, where a memorial service was held after the parade. 

Mayor Ann Campbell gave a welcome speech at the start of the service, for which the theme was, “All gave some- some gave all.” At the start of the ceremony, there was a moment for the laying of wreaths on the graves of fallen veterans as well. The next two speeches given were from Senator Herman Quirmbach, Ames’s representative in the Iowa Senate and the president of the Ames Patriotic Council, and Aaron Rosheim, the featured speaker for the service. 

The service also featured patriotic songs from the Ames Municipal Band and singer Jim DeHoet. 

In the spirit of the service’s theme, names of those who had served and passed away since last Memorial Day were read aloud, followed by a salute from the American Legion firing squad.