The SCV Veterans Memorial Committee and Eternal Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary will present Santa Clarita’s annual Memorial Day Tribute at the park in Newhall on Monday, May 27, starting at 10 a.m.

This year’s ceremony will include a WWII vintage airplane flyover by the Van Nuys Condor Squadron and music by the SCV Concert Band under the direction of Tim Durand.

Santa Clarita City Councilman Bob Kellar will be Master of Ceremonies and the keynote speaker will be Iraq War combat pilot Mike Garcia.

Each year, the tribute spotlights one of America’s conflicts and this year it’s the Korean Conflict, often called “the forgotten war.” Korean War veteran John Coleman will be featured at Sunday’s tribute, along with bagpiper James Gilmore and vocalist Savannah Burrows.

The Ronald Reagan Marine Corps League will Post the Colors; Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 355 will post Military Branch flags, and the SCV Young Marines will place flags on symbolic grave markers.

Following the one-hour ceremony, local high school students will read the names of SCV deceased veterans engraved on the Veterans Memorial Wall. There will be light refreshments following the ceremony.

Parking will be available throughout Eternal Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary, located at 23287 North Sierra Highway, Newhall 91321.

After the tribute, American Legion Post 507 will host a mid-day lunch at 24527 Spruce Street, Newhall 91321.

Memorial Day began after the Civil War and was originally called Decoration Day, a day to place flowers on the graves of those who perished in that war. Following World War I, the day expanded to honor all those who have died in service to their country. It was commonly celebrated in May partly because of the abundance of spring flowers used to decorate the graves of servicemen. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act moved its date to the last Monday of May.

For more information, call Eternal Valley at 661-259-0800 or visit eternalvalleymortuary.com.