Museum offers walking sticks to veterans on Memorial Day

BANGOR – The Cole Land Transportation Museum has bought 500 walking sticks to give away on Memorial Day to World War II veterans who did not get one in 1999.

Museum founder Galen Cole hopes that the offer of these walking sticks, which will be distributedt later in the day at the museum, will encourage more World War II vets to take part in the parade.

The parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. Monday, and World War II participants in the parade may sign up for a walking stick at 10 a.m. under the canopy at Peoples Heritage Bank on Exchange Street, Cole said. They may park in the lot nearby.

Those who sign up may pick up a walking stick beginning at noon at the Cole Land Transportation Museum, 405 Perry Road. The remainder will be distributed at 1 p.m. to other World War II vets who have not already received one.

“Should we run out of sticks,” Cole said, “slips will be given and a later pickup will be assured.”

Those who find the half-mile parade route longer than they care to walk need not worry, Cole emphasized. The vets may ride in buses provided by Cyr Bus Line, or use an electric wheelchair, if they have one.

As World War II veterans in the parade approach the reviewing stand, they will raise their walking sticks as trumpeter Hal Wheeler plays “America the Beautiful.” Veterans are asked to sing along.

After the parade and ceremonies conclude at Davenport Park, the Cyr buses will give World War II veterans rides back to Exchange Street.

Veterans in the parade will be able to pick up a free copy of pictures taken professionally along the parade route. The pictures will be available weekday mornings this summer at the museum. World War II parade participants also will receive a slip for a free hamburger served by the Hampden Academy band boosters during lunch at the museum at noontime. The public may buy refreshments then, as well.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, soda, coffee and brownies will be sold by the band boosters. Proceeds will benefit the Hampden Academy band and its activities.

At 1:30 p.m. at the museum, the Hampden Academy jazz band will highlight the program with a music show. Members of the public are urged to bring lawn chairs. Veterans who bring folding chairs will be seated at the front of the audience. Admission to the museum that afternoon is free to all who attend the show.

For those who want their names engraved on their walking sticks, commercial engraver Larry Nickerson will be on site to engrave names at a discounted cost of $3.

Before the parade, between 9 and 9:20 a.m., carillon bells at Mount Hope Cemetery will play simultaneously with carillons at U.S. military cemeteries in Margraten, Holland, Hamm, Luxembourg, and the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Augusta. The national anthems of the three countries and “God Bless America” also will be played.