Lincoln County history is marching into a new phase Monday whenthe Veterans Parade takes to the streets to honor veterans andofficially open the Military Memorial Museum in the Old Depot.

Chad Smith, an event organizer, said the parade committee isstill accepting entries. More than 250 veterans have alreadyregistered to march in the parade or ride on one of the 30 to 35vintage military vehicles that will participate in the parade or beon display at the museum.

“This will probably be the biggest display of those typevehicles ever held in this town,” Smith said. “There will be someneat vehicles, stuff people here haven’t seen before.”

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at the old railroaddepot and travel along Monticello Street to Jackson Street, thendown Chickasaw Street. The parade will stop for a briefwreath-laying ceremony at the government complex’s VeteransMemorial before heading back to the depot.

In addition to celebrating Memorial Day, the parade is part ofthe opening of the Military Memorial Museum, located in the oldrailroad depot. Vehicles, uniforms, equipment, photographs andother personal items donated by area veterans will be displayed atthe museum. Some residents will dress in various military uniformsfor the parade and museum opening and will be able to answerquestions about the wars they represent.

Several guest speakers have been lined up, Smith said. Paul Ottwill serve as the master of ceremonies and guest speakers includeBrig. Gen. Leland Berry, the deputy commanding general of theMississippi Army National Guard; Thomas Simmons, the Mississippiauthor of “Forgotten Heroes of World War II”; and Jack Lucas, theyoungest Medal of Honor winner this century and a Mississippinative. Lucas is a former Marine who received the Medal of Honorduring the Iwo Jima campaign of World War II when he leapt upon apair of grenades thrown into his trench to save his fellowMarines.

“The veterans have been really helpful with this,” Smith said.”We’ve got a lot of World War II and Korea stuff, but we need morefrom the more modern wars, such as Vietnam and the PersianGulf.”

Smith said he hopes to get enough items to rotate thedisplays.

“It’ll be an ongoing thing. We’ll update it and change it aroundas things come in,” he said. “We want it to be a much more personalthing than typical museums, so that it will be different from anyother museum people have been to.”

Admission to the museum is free, although donations to cover thecost of utilities and display cases are appreciated, Smith said.Veterans have volunteered to staff the museum, which will be openon Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays beginning next week.

Smith urges all veterans to call the event hotline at 833-6298,whether or not they intend to participate in the parade. The museumcommittee is attempting to compose a list of all veterans in thearea for entry into the museum and also so that the veterans canreceive a free newsletter about the museum and its events.