Unofficial Memorial Day observance draws hundreds to downtown Anchorage

The city-sponsored event was canceled this week because of the coronavirus emergency

Last week, the municipality canceled all of the official Memorial Day ceremonies because of the coronavirus emergency. The official event at Fort Richardson National Cemetery was also canceled this year. But that didn’t stop over 400 people from gathering at the Anchorage Veterans Memorial on the Anchorage park strip Monday to observe Memorial Day.

The event was billed as non-partisan, and elected officials from both sides of the aisle were in attendance, some to lay wreaths at the memorial.

The event began with a motorcycle parade of around 30 bikes, and included singers, a bagpiper and speeches. The crowd cheered when emcee Bernadette Wilson announced that Mayor Ethan Berkowitz would not attend. It concluded with the sound of taps played by Matthew Rodriguez, an active duty soldier who was participating on his own and not in any official capacity.

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Loren Holmes

Loren Holmes is a staff photojournalist at the Anchorage Daily News. Contact him at loren@adn.com.