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Memorial Day: sun, plenty of activities By Paul Fattig Break out the sunscreen, sunglasses and the barbecue sauce. After rusting through a wet winter, Rogue Valley residents can look forward to a sunny Memorial Day weekend filled with patriotic parades, picnics and parties. The National Weather Service is calling for favorable weather for sun worshippers through Monday. Most folks will have a three-day weekend off to pay respect to loved ones at local cemeteries as well as to celebrate the good weather. As usual, most public offices, including city, county, state and federal, will be closed for Memorial Day. The Rogue Valley Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance test center in Medford is closed today as well as Monday. The center, operated by the Department of Environmental Quality, will reopen at 9 a.m. Tuesday. School is also out Monday. Banks will be closed for the holiday. The annual Memorial Day activities at the Eagle Point National Cemetery Service begin with the Unknown Soldiers Memorial Service at 11 a.m. Monday. The service will be followed by wreaths being laid by various veteran and civic groups, a traditional 21-gun salute and a flyover by Oregon Air National Guard jets. Music will be provided by the Eagle Point High School band. In preparation for the event, the Boy and Girl Scout councils representing the Rogue Valley began placing small flags at each of the more than 6,000 graves Friday afternoon. In Medford, a retired Air Force general will be the keynote speaker at ceremonies beginning at 2 p.m. at the Veterans' Memorial Park, 1601 South Pacific Highway. The ceremony will also include comments by a representative of the Medford city council. In Ashland, American Legion Post No. 14 will sponsor a Memorial Day observance in cooperation with other local service organizations. The event will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Mountain View Cemetery, located at Highway 66 and Normal Avenue. Volunteers from the Southern Oregon Concert Band will perform under the leadership of Harry Kannasto. Guest speakers will include Mike DeCapua, a retired Air Force officer. But there are plenty of activities to keep you busy until the Memorial Day ceremonies. Festivities begin today with the annual celebration at Buncom, a tiny ghost town nestled in the hills at the intersection of Little Applegate and Sterling Creek roads. The Buncom Day festivities will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be a barbecue, petting zoo, craft vendors, food booths and door prizes. Admission is free. In Grants Pass, the 40th annual Boatnik parade begins at 10 a.m. today. Grand marshal this year is the Purple Panda, a mainstay of PBS' "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood." Following the parade, visitors head to Riverside Park where there is a carnival, a volleyball tournament, arts and crafts and food of every description. The jet boat drag races begin at 1 p.m. and continue through 6 p.m. today at the park. Those races resume at 10 a.m. Sunday. But the big race down the Rogue River begins at Riverside Park at 1 p.m. Monday. However, before the jet boats start roaring, a speech and remembrance will be held at noon at the park. Oregon Air National Guard jets will fly over at 12:30 p.m. that day. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA