Cemetery makes final preparations for Memorial Day
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Memorial Day is a day where we can remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
The week leading up to the holiday can be a busy time for cemeteries, especially for staff at Mount Pleasant in Sioux Falls, who had to clean up a mess left behind by heavy winds last week.
Keepers of the cemeteries in South Dakota
It was a calm and sunny morning at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Leola Sievers was there, and our fallen U.S. military members were weighing heavy on her heart.
'It's so peaceful here for us today. What would it be like if they didn't fight for our country? What would it be like today?' Sievers said.
As people like Sievers were paying their respects, cemetery manager Matt Gage and his son, Archer, were still cleaning up after heavy winds last week scattered branches over the grounds.
'We pushed through, and we got the place mowed. We're finishing branches this morning still, but we're open, and families have been here all weekend,' Matt Gage said.
It was a furious cleanup.
'It was insane. We had about a half dozen volunteers come in from the community and agree to help us help with mowing, help with picking up sticks, help with putting out flags yesterday morning, helping plant flowers,' Matt Gage said.
Memorial Day also has a special meaning to Matt Gage. Mount Pleasant is his four-time great grandfather's final resting place. He served for the Union Army in the Civil War as a veterinarian.
'It's the reason that I choose to work here: family and friends. Mount pleasant is full of family and friends, and I think it's an important place to maintain and preserve,' Matt Gage said.
It's just one of the many stories you can find at Mount Pleasant and one more reason why the Gages try to honor those we lost.
'It's just really important to me because I can see the sacrifices they had to make to basically keep us safe,' Archer Gage said.
Gage says he also hired a mowing company that put in more hours than contracted to help get the cemetery ready for the weekend.
LIST: Memorial Day events in South Dakota
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