By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
ALLEGANY — Hundreds of Allegany residents lined Main Street for the village’s annual Memorial Day Parade, followed by ceremonies outside Town Hall Monday morning.
An honor guard from Allegany American Legion Charles Harbel Post 892 led the parade from the Allegany Fire Hall up Main Street to the Town Hall.
Also participating in the parade were: Allegany Boy Scout Troop 677, Allegany fire trucks and Allegany EMS and Rescue, Allegany-Limestone High School Band, the Sunshine School, Little League members and parents, Allegany Legion Riders and other motorcycles and side-by-sides, and kids on bicycles.
Master of ceremonies Sam Fahy, the Allegany Legion post commander said, “This day is sacred with the almost visible presence of those who have gone before us. We honor the memory of those who gave their lives in the service of our country, with those others who have dropped their burdens at the wayside of life and are gone to their eternal rest.”
He added: “May the ceremonies of today deepen our reverence for our departed friends and comrades. Let us resolve by word and deed to emphasize the privilege and beauty of patriotism.”
In his opening prayer, post Chaplain Ray McKinney said, “Almighty Father, on this Memorial Day, 2026, we give you thanks for those who have laid down their lives in service of our country. May they rest in peace, and may your perpetual light and warmth shine upon them. May the good work of seeking justice for the oppressed and peace for all mankind be rewarded with success, that their lives shall not have been in vain. May we never fail to remember the awesome cost of the liberty that we now enjoy.”
Five people representing the American Legion post, its auxiliary, Sons of the Legion and Legion Riders laid wreaths at the memorial outside Town Hall.
The Allegany-Limestone High School Band performed versions of “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America.”
