SUNBURY -- Parades and services are planned this holiday weekend in communities throughout the Valley to mark Memorial Day.

For men like Roger Martz, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Sunbury, Memorial Day is one of the most important national holidays.

Martz, a Korean War veteran, said, "This is the day where we who have served remember our fallen comrades."

It's also a day for all Americans, he said, to acknowledge the heroic deeds of military personnel through the years.

A list of activities follows:

Saturday

n CELEBRATION/Sunbury

A Memorial Day celebration with Britt Small, the musical voice of American veterans, will be held at American Legion Post 201, 611 Market St. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show beginning at 9. Cost of tickets is $8 in advance and $10 at the door. They are available by calling 286-0431.

Sunday

n COLOR GUARD CEREMONY/Lewisburg

A color guard ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in St. Peter's United Church of Christ Cemetery, 1880 Churches Road. A church service will follow at 6:30.

n PARADE/Mazeppa

The parade and service begin at 6 p.m. The speaker will be the Rev. Ricky Phillips. There will be an ice cream social in the community hall following the service sponsored by the Mazeppa Boy Scouts. If it rains, the service will be held in Mazeppa Union Church.

n service/Riverside

The 44th annual Riverside-Rush Township Memorial Day service will be held at the war monument in the Riverside Park, next to the municipal building at Montour and Dewart streets. The service will begin at 11:15 a.m. with a concert by the Danville Community Band. The speaker will be Justin Noll, plant manager at Cherokee Pharmaceuticals. Noll served five years in the Navy as electronic warfare officer on the USS Blandy and then as an assistant operations officer for Destroyer Squadron 26.