Columbia will put the spotlight on patriotism when Memorial Day festivities are held on Sunday, May 29. The activities will kick off with a patriotic concert by the Bainbridge Band in the gazebo in Locust Street Park, 550 Locust St. The concert will run from noon to 1 p.m. Following the concert, a Memorial Day ceremony will be held, featuring master of ceremonies Kevin Kraft. Jeffrey G. Butch will be the main speaker. Butch served two tours of duty as a combat Marine during the Vietnam War before a career in the banking industry and as a teacher. He will reflect on woman veterans in the military and why Americans celebrate Memorial Day. Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz will also speak, followed by a ceremonial wreath-laying, a rifle salute and the playing of taps.

A Memorial Day parade will begin at 2:30 p.m. The theme of this year's parade is "Women Veterans." The parade route will start at 10th and Manor streets and will run to Manor and South Fourth streets, to Union Street, to South Second Street and to Locust Street. The parade will end at Sixth and Locust streets.

"We will have four divisions in the parade this year," said Bob Herman, parade volunteer. He noted that the parade is returning after an absence since 2019 due to the pandemic and that it's a favorite Columbia tradition. "Columbia has had a Memorial Day parade since World War II," he stated.

Division one be sponsored by the Marine Corps League and will include the Columbia Borough Police Department, the Columbia High School marching band and Gold Star Moms. Division two will be sponsored by Catholic War Veterans Post 1306 and will include a float featuring Keystone Base United States Submarine Veterans. The sponsor of division three will be Amvets Post 153, and the division will include the Central York Middle School Colonial Fife & Drum Corps. The final division, sponsored by the Columbia VFW, will include local Boy Scout troops and local veterans, including 97-year-old World War II veteran Raymond Wallace Jr. The grand marshal of the parade will be Kim Heindel, a lance corporal in the Marines.

Herman noted that the Columbia Memorial Day parade committee is spearheaded by Kevin Kraft of Kraft Funeral Home, who coordinated the parade in honor of his father, Clyde, an active member of the Columbia community.

"People who come to the parade can expect to see a very patriotic event," Kevin said. "It's very military-oriented." He also noted that each division will display a Ukrainian flag in support of the war effort in that country.

Herman emphasized that the parade is a nice way to honor veterans while also bolstering community spirit. "It's a uniquely Columbia event," he said. "It's all about Columbia and the service organizations we have here. It's a group effort to do a nice community event."