Countywide : Flags, Color Guards and Speeches to Mark Memorial Day Ceremonies

A number of Memorial Day ceremonies are scheduled across the county Monday. Major events will include those at:

* El Toro Memorial Park Cemetery, 25751 Trabuco Road, Lake Forest. The Orange County Veterans’ Advisory Council will join with El Toro in a joint ceremony for the first time. Capt. Alexander D. Ciurczak, two-time recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross during World War II, will speak. Color guards from several cities will participate in activities, which begin at 11 a.m.

* Loma Vista Memorial Park, 701 E. Bastanchury Road, Fullerton. The American Veterans’ Memorial Assn. will sponsor the ceremony, which will include a salute to the U.S. Coast Guard. Rear Adm. Robert E. Sloncen, senior reserve officer in the Coast Guard and deputy commander for U.S. Maritime Defense Zone, will speak. Ceremonies begin at 10 a.m. The park is north of the Riverside Freeway and east of Harbor Boulevard.

* Memory Garden Memorial Park, 455 W. Central Ave., Brea. More than 950 full-size flags that have draped veterans’ coffins will fly over the park during ceremonies that will begin at 11 a.m. Speakers will include Orange County Superior Court Judge David O. Carter. Veterans groups from Brea, La Habra, Placentia and Yorba Linda will participate.

* Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 4471 Lincoln Blvd., Cypress. Robert D. Salisbury, state commander for Disabled American Veterans, will speak at ceremonies, which will begin at 11 a.m. and include a parade of color guards from 15 veterans groups. The event will be on the forecourt of Forest Lawn’s Ascension Mosaic. The park is a mile east of the Lincoln-Carson exit on the San Gabriel River Freeway.

* Queen Mary Seaport, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach. Admission charges to the Queen Mary will be waived for all veterans and military personnel Saturday through Monday. The ship, now a hotel and tourist attraction, was known as the Gray Ghost during World War II when it served as a troopship. Admission is $10 for non-military visitors, $8 for seniors and $6 for children 4 to 11.

* California Ranch Restaurant, 1240 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. The hungry and homeless are invited for free chicken and hamburger dinners from noon to 5 p.m. No one will be turned away, organizers said. Information: (714) 870-8181.