MONROE COUNTY OFFICES CLOSED MONDAY IN OBSERVANCE OF MEMORIAL DAY, VETERANS AFFAIRS TO ATTEND MULTIPLE EVENTS

MONROE COUNTY, FL – Monroe County offices will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 26. On Monday, Monroe County’s Veterans Affairs will attend the Memorial Day wreath service at 10 a.m. at the Key West Veterans Memorial Garden at Bayview Park and cohost the 11 a.m. ceremony at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo.

Ceremonies in the Florida Keys include:

Key West Cemetery – USS Maine Memorial, Winslow Plot, Key West at 9 a.m.

Key West Veterans Memorial Garden – Bayview Park, Key West at 10 a.m.

Southernmost Cemetery – Big Coppitt Key at 11 a.m.

Islamorada Hurricane Monument – MM 81.5 at 9 a.m.

Murray Nelson Government Center – Key Largo at 11 a.m.

Monroe County Veterans Affairs, Monroe County Fire Rescue, and Monroe County Parks and Beaches will host a Murph workout at Big Pine Key Community Park. Registration is at 8:15 a.m., with the workout beginning at 9 a.m. The event honors the legacy of Lt. Michael Murphy, a US Navy SEAL who died in Afghanistan in 2005. All fitness levels are welcome. Local 3909 will have shirts for sale. The event is free. Participant waiver required.

On Monday, the American Legion Post 145 is also sponsoring a Big Red Bus blood drive at the Murray Nelson Government Center in Key Largo from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“On Memorial Day, may we pause and honor the bravery and dedication of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country,” said Monroe County Veterans Affairs Director Cathy Crane. “It is an opportunity to reflect on their courage and express our appreciation for the freedoms for which they served to protect and defend.”

Memorial Day is traced back to the end of the Civil War and was known as Decoration Day, a day when graves of fallen soldiers were decorated in memory of their service. In 1971, Congress made Memorial Day a national holiday on the last Monday in May to pay tribute to those who died while serving in the military.

For more information on Monroe County Veterans Affairs, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/va or call 305-453-8777.

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