CONTRIBUTED BY
THE CITY OF OPELIKA

OPELIKA ––

The city of Opelika will host Memorial Day Services on May 30, 2022. The event will remember our military heroes who fought for the freedom of our country and the families who lost loved ones in the line of service. Services will be held at Courthouse Square at 10 a.m.

There is a special lineup this year:

• Welcome by Mayor Gary Fuller

• Prayer by Kevin Haefner of Church of the Highlands –– Opelika Campus

• Special music by Opelika High School Choir

• Presentation of Colors and Laying of the Wreath by Opelika Fire Dept.

• Guest speaker Army veteran Maryshay Ray

• TAPS by Neil Sasser, Opelika High School.

Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Maryshay Ray, native of Belle Chasse, Louisiana, joined the Army in 2011. She served in the 15th Engineer Battalion, Forward Support Company in Grafenwoehr, Germany and in Schweinfurt, Germany. After her medical retirement, she obtained an Associate in Science  degree from Central Alabama Community College in 2019, and then transferred to Auburn University where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2020. She is currently pursuing her master’s in counseling.

Before attending Auburn University, Ray trained service dogs to aid her fellow veterans who battle with PTSD. She possesses a passion in giving back to her brothers and sisters in arms, as well as their families; she is dedicated to their mental wellbeing and success.

Following the Memorial Day services, the Museum of East Alabama will host a reception for the public to share the extraordinary memorabilia of Opelika’s history.

In case of rain, the 10 a.m. services will be moved the Municipal Court Building located at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd.

Memorial Day Week Garbage Schedules: Garbage routes will run one day later than normal.