Warren County’s traditional Memorial Day ceremony at the airport will not be observed. The annual event has been canceled this year due to COVID-19 concerns.

“We really hated to cancel it this year, but we felt it’s best with everything going on,” said Mark Livengood, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America Royce Davenport Chapter. “The majority of our veterans are in their 70s so we want to do what’s best for them. Plus, there are just so many questions about what you can and cannot do, we thought this would be best.”

The annual Memorial Day service is traditionally held at the airport at 7 a.m. on the Monday of Memorial Day. It typically draws over 100 visitors to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life during military service.

Local veteran service organizations take turns handling arrangements each year with the Vietnam Veterans of America in charge this year.

“We were in contact with the governor’s office last week and they were not recommending gatherings like this at that time,” said Livengood. “These things take a long time to coordinate and that didn’t give us enough time to prepare. It takes a while to get everything together.”

Standard newspaper columnist and retired Army Col. Thomas B. Vaughn says it will mark the first time in decades there hasn’t been a local Memorial Day ceremony.

“I’ve been retired for 32 years and there’s been a service every one of those years,” said Vaughn.