South Lake Minnetonka Memorial Day Events

05/23/2025

Inviting You To:
Experience an Inspiration and Informational Video: https://youtu.be/0R1s7ZgKmS4

Join Us on Memorial Day!

South Lake Minnetonka Memorial Day Events
Monday, May 26, 2025

Memorial Program
10:00 a.m.
Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.

Memorial Day Parade
Parade Start: 11:00 a.m.

Memorial Day Graveside Ceremony
11:30 a.m.
Oak Hill Cemetery, Excelsior

Social Gathering and Luncheon at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 will follow the Oak Hill Ceremony

Memorial Day Tribute - The Ultimate SacrificeAmerican Legion Post 259 / VFW Post 5919South Lake Minnetonka (Minnesota) Communities of: Excelsior, Deephaven,...

05/23/2025

Flags Up!

Thank you Excelsior Public Works for putting up the flags in Excelsior.

Water Street looks ready for a parade!

The parade is just part of how Veterans are Honored on Memorial Day.

South Lake Minnetonka Memorial Day Events
Monday, May 26, 2025

Memorial Program
10:00 a.m.
Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.

Memorial Day Parade
Parade Start: 11:00 a.m.

Memorial Day Graveside Ceremony
11:30 a.m.
Oak Hill Cemetery, Excelsior

Social Gathering and Luncheon at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 will follow the Oak Hill Ceremony.

05/23/2025

Spreading the word about South Lake Memorial Day at the morning Rotary.

Thank you Memorial Day Committee Chair, Nick Ruehl for giving us a glimpse at the Memorial Day Program.

MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
7:30 a.m. Three Gravesite Visits. Starts at Woodside
Cemetery

10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.

11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary School to
Oak Hill Cemetery.

11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Social Gathering and Luncheon at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 will follow.

05/18/2025

Banner Up!

The New South Lake Memorial Day Banner is Up.

Thank you Tanner and Pro Tree Outdoor Services for your generosity and time to spread the word about the Memorial Day Events.

South Lake Minnetonka Memorial Day Events
Monday, May 26, 2025

Memorial Program
10:00 a.m.
Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.

Memorial Day Parade
Parade Start: 11:00 a.m.

Memorial Day Graveside Ceremony
11:30 a.m.
Oak Hill Cemetery, Excelsior

Social Gathering and Luncheon at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 will follow the Oak Hill Ceremony.

05/16/2025

Flashback Friday
Civil War Monument at Oak Hill Cemetery

The most recognizable monument at Oak Hill Cemetery is the Civil War Monument.

Sometime in the late 1800’s a group of citizens, veterans, and active military personnel formed a procession to Oak Hill Cemetery to honor veterans that had died in service to our Nation. Tokens of honor were laid at the foot of the Civil War Monument.

The Civil War Monument was high in the ridge of Oak Hill. I was a steep climb for people to reach the monument.

For safety and access reasons in 1962 the monument was moved to where it is now and the flag pole was added.

There is still a patch of cement on the ridge of Oak Hill where it once sat.

This Memorial Day follow in the footsteps of the people who were part of the first procession.

Civil War Monument at Oak Hill Cemetery

The most recognizable monument at Oak Hill Cemetery is the Civil War Monument.

Sometime in the late 1800’s a group of citizens, veterans, and active military personnel formed a procession to Oak Hill Cemetery to honor veterans that had died in service to our Nation. Tokens of honor were laid at the foot of the Civil War Monument.

The Civil War Monument was high in the ridge of Oak Hill. I was a steep climb for people to reach the monument.

For safety and access reasons in 1962 the monument was moved to where it is now and the flag pole was added.

There is still a patch of cement on the ridge of Oak Hill where it once sat.

This Memorial Day follow in the footsteps of the people who were part of the first procession.

Honoring the Veteran in Your Life
Family and friends of veterans are invited to honor their veteran in the parade.

Carry pictures, posters, banners, mementos from their life, uniforms, and flags.

Place a token of honor and enduring memory of the veteran in your life at the monument.

See the South Lake Memorial Day Event page for more info.

Memorial Day is for all soldiers that died in service to our nation. These soldiers have been laid to rest in cemeteries and resting places across our nation, buried at sea, ashes spread in special places, and those who are still missing.

Join us to honor them on Memorial Day.

10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.
11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary to Oak Hill Cemetery. Part of the same path the Clarence Clofer funeral procession took to Oak Hill Cemetery.

11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Social Gathering at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 in Shorewood to follow.

Family and friends of veterans are invited to honor their veteran in the parade.

Carry pictures, posters, banners, mementos from their life, uniforms, and flags.

Place a token of honor and enduring memory of the veteran in your life at the monument.

Memorial Day is for all soldiers that died in service to our nation. These soldiers have been laid to rest in cemeteries and resting places across our nation, buried at sea, ashes spread in special places, and those who are still missing.

Jion us to honor them on Memorial Day.

10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium. In the same building Clarence Clofer graduated from.

11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary to Oak Hill Cemetery. Part of the same path the Clarence Clofer funeral procession took to Oak Hill Cemetery.

11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery. The final resting place of Clarence Gabriel Clofer.

Social Gathering at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 in Shorewood to follow.

05/16/2025

THROWBACK Thursday

MEMORIAL DAY 1946

During World War II Fourteen Excelsior Fire Department Firefighters went into the service. They became members of the Army, Navy, Army Air Corps, and Merchant Marines.

World War II ended on September 2, 1945. Firefighters retuning from WW II made it back home in time for the Memorial Day festivities in Excelsior.

To honor their fellow firefighters that had become soldiers, the fire department placed a banner with blue stars on the EFD Rescue truck. Each star represented an EFD firefighter who was in the military. The display of stars was most likely inspired by the custom of families of servicemen hanging a banner called a Service Flag in one of the windows of their homes. The Service Flag had a star on it for each family member in the military.

Firefighter, Jim Lees was in the Merchant Marines and was on the USS Argonne when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7th, 1941. Fortunately, no one on his ship was wounded. His ship was one of the ships in the harbor that was responsible for saving lives and recovering bodies.

The EFD Rescue Squad was purchased in 1937 and stocked with medical supplies including bone splints, plasma, a stretcher, and an inhalator.

Set aside your Memorial Day morning to honor the soldiers of today and yesterday.

10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium. In the same many of these Firefighters and WWII Soldiers graduated from.

11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary to Oak Hill Cemetery. Part of the same path these Soldiers walked in the Memorial Day Parade of 1946.

11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery. The same place these WWII Soldiers stood almost 8 decades ago.

05/14/2025

Thank you Community Volunteers!

05/14/2025

Thank You South Lake Minnetonka Memorial Day Poster Distribution Volunteers for taking time out of your day to hang flyers in posters in the South Lake Area.

Barrie Seifert and Georgia Ehrreich, Community Advocates, , Josh Radziej, State Farm/Excelsior Lion’s , and Robbie Shoemaker from APG/Sun Media.

Thank you to all the business that donated real estate in their windows, bulletin boards, and walls.

If you have not caught a glimpse of the posters yet, here’s is the info you don’t want to miss.

MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS
7:30 a.m. Three Gravesite Visits. Starts at Woodside Cemetery
10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.
11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary School to Oak Hill Cemetery.
Flyover during the parade and Oak Hill Cemetery.
11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Social Gathering and Luncheon at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 will follow.

05/09/2025

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Clarence Gabriel Clofer
1895-1919 (age 23)

The Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 located in Shorewood on Smithtown Road was named in honor of WWI Veteran and Excelsior resident, Clarence Clofer.

Clarence Gabriel Clofer was the son of John Clofer, born Germany, and Lizzie Gabrielson, born Norway. He graduated from Excelsior High School in 1914, then took a class in mechanics at the Minneapolis Tractor School. Before entering the service he worked for Donaldsons, Minneapolis, operating Launch deliveries on Lake Minnetonka. He was a member of the I.O.O.F and Congregational Church.

Clarence was the Chief Machinist's Mate, US Navy, served on the U.S.S. Subchaser #205 during WWI. He died following an explosion on the Submarine Chaser in 1919 in Key West, Florida. Clofer as the first WWI casualty whose body was returned to Excelsior.
He was given a large military funeral. The Village of Excelsior paid part of the expenses of his funeral. The whole town of Excelsior shut down for his funeral. The procession was so long that there was an unbroken line from the Congregational Church to Oak Hill Cemetery.

Memorial Day is for soldiers such as Clarence Gabriel Clofer. It is a day to honor those who have died in service to our nation.

10:00 a.m. Memorial Program at Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium. In the same building Clarence Clofer graduated from.

11:00 a.m. Parade from Excelsior Elementary to Oak Hill Cemetery. Part of the same path the Clarence Clofer funeral procession took to Oak Hill Cemetery.

11:30 a.m. Graveside Ceremony at Oak Hill Cemetery. The final resting place of Clarence Gabriel Clofer.

Social Gathering at the Clarence Clofer American Legion Post 259 in Shorewood to follow.

The American Legion named in honor of Clarence Gabriel Clofer.

Tour of the Oak Hill Cemetery after the Graveside Ceremony. You will see Clarence Clofer’s gravesite and learn more about local soldiers.

05/05/2025

Veterans

You are invited to participate in the 2025 South Lake Memorial Day Parade and attend the events.

There are several ways to participate in the Memorials Day Events.

Attending the Memorial Program
10:00 a.m.
Excelsior Elementary School in the gymnasium.

Participating in the Parade
Carry flags, banners, the Oak Hill Cemetery Memorials, or picture for your veteran with your troop or group.

Honoring the Veteran in Your Life
Participants that want to honor the Veteran in their life can carry pictures, posters, banners, mementoes from their Veteran, uniforms, and flags.

Participating in the Oak Hill Cemetery Program
Hold flags, banners, and pictures for your veteran as part of the program.

Presenting Memorials at Oak Hill Cemetery
Present a token of honor to enduring memory memorials during the Graveside Service at Oak Hill Cemetery.

Troops and Groups have placed wreaths, bouquets of flowers, plants, creative flag arrangements, drawings, and bags filled with Thank You notes to Veterans at the War Monument.

RSVP by sending Firefighter Kellie an e mail or text.
[email protected] or 952-217-2351