Dear Editor,
According to an article in the Tribune, the Mayor last Saturday made a proclamation in which he said all residents of Great Bend should have opportunities to preserve their family traditions and culture.
We all should remind the Mayor and the council members that many of the Great Bend residents have family traditions and their culture is to decorate the graves of our loved ones on Memorial Day. It is not our tradition and culture to have the decorations torn down and thrown away by the cemetery staff so that they can mow the buffalo grass Thursday before Memorial day.
The new big orange signs at the entrances to the cemetery proclaim:
"Memorial Day decorations - no decorations shall be placed on the ground on the gravesite prior to noon on the Thursday preceding Memorial Day.”
There is a petition being circulated for signature by residents requesting that the City Counsel approve the following: “Flowers may be placed on the graves Memorial Day each year begim1ing at 5 p.m. the Friday of the weekend one week prior to Memorial Day and must be removed from the grave sites one week following Memorial Day.”
A petition is available for signing at my office 2109 12th Street and its adoption can be accomplished by making your feelings known to your city counsel member.
Brock R. McPherson
Great Bend