Confederate Memorial Day observance

Confederate Memorial Day, a holiday in South Carolina, will be observed Monday. But Oconee County’s tribute to those who died in service to the Confederacy takes place this weekend in Walhalla, and everyone is invited. Retired teacher Luther Lyle, president of the Seneca Chapter of Sons of the Confederacy, says the observance will start at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon at the General John Wagener marker at S. Church and Short streets. Mayor Danny Edwards will say a few words about Wagener, Walhalla’s founder. At the Confederate monument on W. Main, there will be the symbolic firing of a cannon, provided the police give their approval. Lyle says this event is about calling attention to the area’s heritage, not hatred.