NASHUA – For the second – and hopefully, the final – year, local veterans organizations are erring on the side of safety and canceling Nashua’s Memorial Day parade.

But Barney Barbera, chairman of the Mayors Veterans Council, said the traditional wreath-laying events will go on as scheduled the morning of Monday, May 31.

At the four locations, listed below, representatives of the James E. Coffey Post 3, American Legion; the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Post 7, and Veterans of Foreigh Wars (VFW) Post 483 will place wreaths and hold a brief service at each of the locations.

Unlike last year, the services, which begin at 8 a.m., are open to the public, as long as masks are worn and proper distancing guidelines are followed. The services will also be recorded by Access Nashua TV and replayed from time to time. The schedule can be found at http://accessnashua.org/index.php.

The services and wreath ceremonies will take place at Foster Square, at the junction of Orange, Lock and Whitney streets; Gilbert “Lefty” Dumais Field, at Atherton Park on Atherton Avenue; the memorial site at Woodlawn Cemetery, Kinsley Street; and Constitution Plaza, corner of Main Street and Medical Center Drive, opposite Southern New Hampshire Medical Center.

Central to Foster Square is the statue of Nashua native Maj. Gen. John G. Foster, a West Point graduate who served as a captain in the Mexican-American War, then continued his military service in the Civil War, during which he attained the rank of major general.

He was cited for distinguished service in the capture of Savannah, and for “gallant and meritorious services in the field” during the war.

“Lefty” Dumais was a 1949 Nashua High graduate who enlisted in the U.S. Army that fall, and was sent overseas to Korea several months later.

Pvt. Dumais was just 18 when he was killed in action in Korea, a member of the 24th Replacement Division.

Dumais, who lived at 79 Lock St. and was a standout baseball player in the Ward 3 entry into the Ward Leagues that Nashua fielded at the time.

He is believed to be the first Nashuan killed in action in the Korean War.

Constitution Plaza, meanwhile, features a stone monument bearing an inscription of the U.S. Constitution. One of the sculptures created during a recent Nashua International Sculpture Sympsium has been installed on the plaza.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.