For Linda Perkins, Memorial Day is an important holiday, not only for the nation but for the small town of Norfolk. As she puts it, “It’s the one time we gather as a town community to honor those who served our country. They deserve to be remembered. We owe them a debt of gratitude.” But she’s concerned that over time, the relationship between the holiday and our town is being lost, so she is taking steps to ensure that this day of remembrance is made personal for all in attendance.

For this year’s celebration, red, white and blue buttons are being made available to family members or descendants of the nearly 300 veterans whose names are read aloud at the Memorial Green. The wearer of the button will write their relative’s surname in the white band at the center of the button, and then folks can see that many of the people around them are connected to Norfolk’s past and that the seemingly antiquated tradition of “the reading of the names” is still relevant to present-day residents and attendees. For Perkins, it’s about connecting the past and present.

Perkins has also made up a brochure about the memorial, which was designed by Alfredo Taylor and dedicated in 1921, almost 100 years ago. Over the next few years, she hopes to add to the project, collecting personal recollections to compile into a book and drawing up a lesson plan for Botelle schoolteachers to use.

The Memorial Day parade starts at 9 a.m. at Town Hall and, following the same route it has taken for 100 years, proceeds to the memorial, where there will be a short presentation and a salute. The five-mile road race, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary, starts at noon at the ball fields and ends at the village green.

The buttons and copies of the brochure are available in the Town Clerk’s Office.

Photo by Bruce Frisch: Town Clerk Linda Perkins wears a Memorial Day button with one of the earliest names to be put on the monument.