HASTINGS, Minn. , Memorial Day in Hastings moved at a steady, respectful pace this year, with ceremonies across town, a main program at the Rotary Pavilion at Levee Park, and a morning march that put remembrance quite literally on the road.
The day’s formal schedule began at 9:30 a.m. at the Veterans Home, where the VFW Honor Guard took part in a dedication, honor guard ceremony and Taps. From there, observances continued at 10 a.m. at Roadside Park, with a dedication, wreath laying, honor guard and Taps, followed by a 10:30 a.m. stop at Soldiers and Sailors Cemetery, where children in white joined the wreath laying. The main event ceremony followed at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Levee, with a cannon shot by Captain Williams Home Guard adding a sound that was hard to miss. Later events included Hastings Hawks baseball at 2 p.m. with the VFW Color Guard, and Taps Across America at Fleet Farm at 2:45 p.m.
At the main ceremony, Mark Gelhar welcomed the crowd with a nod to the weather and the occasion. “What a great Memorial Day it is. Sunshine, nice breeze. Thank you all for being here today,” he said. Before the regular program began, Spencer Johnson and his Civil War group helped open the ceremony with a cannon shot. Gelhar told the crowd there would be another at the end, adding, “don’t sneak out earlier, you’re going to miss that.”
The ceremony also included a brief scholarship presentation to Arabella Arnold, who was unable to attend Hastings High School’s scholarship night the week before. Gelhar said she would attend the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota to pursue a degree in marketing. The program then moved into an invocation by Pastor Paris Pash, a flag ceremony, and the national anthem sung by Finley Jones.
Pash, who said he has helped lead prayers at Hastings memorial services since 1999, offered a prayer that tied remembrance to service beyond the ceremony itself. “Remind us that freedom is never free,” he prayed, asking that the day’s gratitude be carried into daily life.
Mayor Mary Fasbender also addressed those gathered, thanking residents for attending and asking veterans in the crowd to stand. “Today we thank a veteran, but every day is a good day to thank a veteran,” she said.
One of the day’s younger voices was Shia Tischleder, an eighth grader at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the local VFW Patriot’s Pen winner. Reading her essay, she described patriotism as something shown through action, from helping at a food drive to making cards for nursing home residents. “Patriotism isn’t about shouting the loudest, it’s about caring enough to stand up,” she said.
Johnson, the guest speaker and a former Hastings High School teacher, focused on the city’s Civil War history. He spoke about Hastings in 1861, the Dakota County Volunteers, and Company H of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. His remarks centered on sacrifice, including the First Minnesota’s heavy losses at Gettysburg. “Every man did his duty,” Johnson said, closing with remembrance for veterans past and present.
The day also included the March for Them, a Memorial Day walk in Hastings that has become another way for residents, veterans, families and children to mark the holiday. The group describes the event as a scenic 10-mile walk, or road march, along the River Trail Loop in Hastings, with Honor Markers along the route recognizing fallen comrades, family members and friends who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Organizer Tom Wright said this year’s march was free for everyone, not just veterans, after sponsors and donors helped cover costs. “We decided, let’s make it free, remove the barriers, all barriers that we can for people to do this to sign up,” Wright said. He said the move helped bring in new participants, while donations continued during registration.
The shorter 10-mile route also appears to be working. Wright said 58 people walked this year, up from 44 the previous year. He said families were among the welcome surprises. “A lot of families showed up with kids,” Wright said. “I was not expecting that.”
The march stepped off at 8 a.m., with plans to finish around 11 or 11:30 a.m. Wright said the group no longer stops to share every story at every mile, since the number of Honor Markers has grown, but participants still pause to honor some markers along the way.
By the end of the main ceremony, the crowd had heard prayers, essays, history, Taps, military honors and cannon fire. Gelhar thanked the many groups and volunteers who helped make the day happen, including Boy Scouts, the Hastings Bus Company, Hastings Floral Company, United Heroes League, local media, and others. He then asked those gathered to raise their poppies in a final salute to deceased veterans, a quiet ending after a morning that mixed solemn ritual, local history and community warmth.