A wet morning may have dampened crowds but not the sentiment behind local Memorial Day events.
Under a steady downpour in Exeter, people huddled under umbrellas stood silently for a wreath-laying ceremony and 21-gun salute.
“We gather on this day of sacred memory, made sacred by the lives of those who laid down their own lives in selfless service to this nation,” said Pastor Tom Powell of the Exeter Presbyterian Church, during a prayer.
Local veterans as well as a girl scout troop and the Exeter High School football team marched in a parade through downtown. Gaybe Addorisio, who watched with her husband and two daughters, said the significance of the nation’s 250th birthday later this summer was on her mind.
“I think with everything going on in the world right now too, and it being such a big anniversary, I think it does have a bigger impact than normal,” she said. “It just makes you feel more, I don't know if prideful is the right word, but hopeful, maybe.”
On the steps of Exeter’s Historical Society building, where a commemorative wreath was laid, Meryl Carmel, a former social studies teacher, said the nation’s upcoming milestone could be summarized succinctly. “I guess I have one word: Democracy,” she said.
“People who gave their all, no matter what the war was, to hold on to the sacred democracy that we have,” said Carmel.
