RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Rancho Cordovans who died in the service of their country will be honored during a special display of American flags on Folsom Boulevard this Memorial Day.

“Flags on Folsom Boulevard” will feature hundreds of American flags posted on the south side of Rancho Cordova’s central roadway, paying tribute to those who “gave all,” as organizers shift to an observance which honors the sacrifice of veterans while complying with COVID-19 social distancing requirements.

In a normal Memorial Day setting, the Cordova Community Council would work with community residents, the Veterans Administration and Rancho Cordova River City Concert Band for a moving program staged at the VA Medical Center at Mather, or inside the Performing Arts Center at Cordova High School.

However, current conditions made both those settings impossible this year, so fallen veterans will be honored as follows:

“Flags on Folsom Boulevard” is a 300-flag tribute on Folsom Boulevard.  The flags will be installed on Friday, May 23, and remain on display through the Memorial Day holiday on May 25;

Memorial wreath at Memorial Plaza, located in front of the VA Medical Center, Mather.  Republic Services is providing the tribute;

“Our Gratitude” billboard honors will acknowledge the contributions of 30 veterans of all branches of the service, who would have been spotlighted with a memorial brick ceremony during a standard Memorial Day salute.  This Memorial Day, the veterans will be remembered in rotating displays on digital billboards along Highway 50, in cooperation with Clear Channel Outdoor and Outfront Media.

Cordova Community Council event specialist Marie Beckstaiger said the organizing committee for Memorial Day and Veterans Day salutes hope to return to the more personal and moving tributes which have become a signature of Rancho Cordova’s honoring of veterans, both living and deceased.

“This approach was not our first choice,” she said.  “But no matter what, we agree with the citizens of Rancho Cordova that honoring brave veterans, especially those who died in the service of our country, is non-negotiable.  We hope everyone takes a drive down Folsom Boulevard and to the Memorial Plaza in their honor, and we look forward to the day when we can join together as a community again.”

The Memorial Day tributes are sponsored by Republic Services, City of Rancho Cordova, Atlas Disposal, Michael Baker International, Quick Quack Car Wash, Assemblyman Ken Cooley, Belka & Hagan Families, Rancho Cordova Smiles Dentistry, KP International Market, Folsom Cordova Unified School District, and the Cordova Community Council Foundation.