The Sappington-Concord Historical Society will return to St. Lucas United Church of Christ to host the “biggest little annual Memorial Day celebration in south county.” This year’s event will take place at 10 a.m. Monday, May 28, on the green at St. Lucas United Church of Christ, 11735 Denny Road. “The green” is the large open lawn just east of the church along Denny Road.

The celebration is free and open to the public and includes something for everyone in the family. Distinguished guest speaker Dave Rogers will share a message about resilience developed while serving in a war zone and the important lessons he learned the hard way during two deployments. Rogers is a master sergeant in the United States Air Force Reserve, managing the assembly of explosives. He returned from his second deployment to Afghanistan in April.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, and parking will be available on the east parking lot at St. Lucas. Please enter through the west parking lot entrance.

Following the ceremony, all are invited to attend a reception with refreshments in the auditorium at St. Lucas.

There will be “Hometown Heroes” books for sale, and light refreshments will be served.

This year’s event also includes a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, including a World War I doughboy reenactor and an informational table from the Missouri Historical Society.

An American bald eagle will be on display from the World Bird Sanctuary, and 100 doves of peace will be released into the sky. These birds are actually homing pigeons and fly at impressive speeds up to 60 mph.

The event will also feature selections from a portion of the LHS Spirit of St. Louis Marching Band, directed by David Wyss.