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As gathering restrictions are eased and lifted, Memorial Day ceremonies are free to remember those who gave their lives for our country.

For Memorial Day 2020, gathering restrictions were still strict as the world tried to flatten the curve of the rising COVID-19 pandemic. A virtual ceremony was held in Richmond that featured local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion members in the hopes of returning to normal the next year. Luckily, things are slowly starting to get back to normal.

Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery’s Memorial Day ceremony will start at 10 a.m. May 31 at 5310 Milners Road. A local Veterans of Foreign Wars group is hosting the ceremony that morning, along with a wreath-laying.

In preparation for Monday, Girl and Boy Scouts, American Heritage Girls, other community groups and anyone else is invited to come to the cemetery at 4 p.m. Friday to help place flags to remember and honor those who have fallen.

Cedar Hill Cemetery will hold its Memorial Day service at 1 p.m. May 29 off of North Main Street. Cedar Hill is the burial site for many veterans from the Civil War, both world wars, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

During this small ceremony, the American Legion Norman R. Matthews Suffolk Post 57 will lay wreaths on the war markers and World War I statue located on Mahan Street.

With Gov. Ralph Northam lifting gathering restrictions on May 28, there will be no social distancing guidelines to be mindful of, and both ceremonies will take place outdoors. Masks are still encouraged for those who are not yet fully vaccinated.

Both events are free and open to the public.