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Nation Celebrates Memorial Day With Parades, Festivals, Picnics

Aired May 26, 2003 - 14:12   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Parades, festivals and picnics are also, of course, a part of Memorial Day observances. We are going to take you to two such events right now. CNN's Jamie Colby is at the Music and Food Festival in Philadelphia. They know a lot about good food there, and of the cheese steak.
And Jeff Flock is along the parade route in Elmhurst, Illinois. How's the food there, Jeff?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a somber time here, Miles. You know, when the parade is finished up -- and I want to show sort of it's a mini Arlington, simple white crosses that you see right downtown in Elmhurst, Illinois. This is the veteran's memorial. Perhaps you also see the, you know, the fancy memorial they put up here, and the theme is, "Don't Forget." Everyone should remember all of those who gave their lives, and I don't know how many total crosses we've got over there, Bill Ralston. How many crosses? How many folks have given their lives from Elmhurst, Illinois?

BILL RALSTON, VETERAN: Approximately 50.

FLOCK: Is that right? Wow. Now, we've got...

RALSTON: We add on to them all of the time.

FLOCK: Unfortunately. We have got Korean war, World War II here. No one knows war better than you gentlemen, but you don't want there to be war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's maybe necessary, but we don't want it. We have to win them and be benevolent peacekeepers.

FLOCK: Are we doing that now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that's what we're heading for. Many people would disagree, but I think we are.

FLOCK: And Bill Ralston, your theme today on this Memorial Day?

RALSTON: Always remember. I fear that as the years go by, maybe the younger generation will not appreciate the number of people that gave their lives, really and sincerely.

FLOCK: Don't forget. DON KEMP, VETERAN: My name is Don Kemp, and I was a Korean vet, and it is our duty to train the youth of this country about what their predecessors that were in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq, what it means to have freedom, and they earned it for us today.

FLOCK: You gentlemen all know better than anyone. We very much appreciate your time on this special Memorial Day, a Memorial Day with when we are so close to real live military action elsewhere in the world.

That is the latest from Elmhurst Illinois. Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jeff Flock in Elmhurst. Let's go to Philadelphia now, where Jamie Colby is celebrating Memorial Day in a different way. Hello, Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, it's cold here, but it isn't raining, so we got lucky. They were expecting 20,000 people here at the 18th annual "Jam on the River". Twenty bands will be playing today, including the Disco Biscuits "Old and the Gray". A lot of people here now eating. This is a food as well as music festival.

And I want to introduce you to my new friend. He says his name is Sam. He has a very important job, Miles. He's the official smile inspector.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed. America's proudest citizen here in the birthplace of democracy, remembering the war dead and celebrating the fruits of their sacrifice. We've got great weather out here, and we've got a lot of Americans out here smiling, and I haven't found one yet that needed to be at all lifted up. They're all chipper. They're all going, and we're having a great time.

COLBY: Well, you could actually give them a lift, and you were checking out my smile, and you were kind enough to talk us, Same, but I've got to go check out some food because earlier, Miles, I was given some grief about not trying the alligator. So, I'm going back to Charles, who is the chef at Mulay (ph) of New Orleans. He's down here, and I have agreed, officially for you, to give an alligator sausage a try. And it is mighty spicy, Miles, but very tasty. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: You've got to be careful out there, Jamie. If you do too many of the live shots, you are going to have a little indigestion there. All right. Enjoy, Philadelphia. Enjoy Uncle Sam. Enjoy your Memorial Day. Jamie Colby preceded by Jeff Flock in Elmhurst, Illinois.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Picnics>


Aired May 26, 2003 - 14:12   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Parades, festivals and picnics are also, of course, a part of Memorial Day observances. We are going to take you to two such events right now. CNN's Jamie Colby is at the Music and Food Festival in Philadelphia. They know a lot about good food there, and of the cheese steak.
And Jeff Flock is along the parade route in Elmhurst, Illinois. How's the food there, Jeff?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a somber time here, Miles. You know, when the parade is finished up -- and I want to show sort of it's a mini Arlington, simple white crosses that you see right downtown in Elmhurst, Illinois. This is the veteran's memorial. Perhaps you also see the, you know, the fancy memorial they put up here, and the theme is, "Don't Forget." Everyone should remember all of those who gave their lives, and I don't know how many total crosses we've got over there, Bill Ralston. How many crosses? How many folks have given their lives from Elmhurst, Illinois?

BILL RALSTON, VETERAN: Approximately 50.

FLOCK: Is that right? Wow. Now, we've got...

RALSTON: We add on to them all of the time.

FLOCK: Unfortunately. We have got Korean war, World War II here. No one knows war better than you gentlemen, but you don't want there to be war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. It's maybe necessary, but we don't want it. We have to win them and be benevolent peacekeepers.

FLOCK: Are we doing that now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think that's what we're heading for. Many people would disagree, but I think we are.

FLOCK: And Bill Ralston, your theme today on this Memorial Day?

RALSTON: Always remember. I fear that as the years go by, maybe the younger generation will not appreciate the number of people that gave their lives, really and sincerely.

FLOCK: Don't forget. DON KEMP, VETERAN: My name is Don Kemp, and I was a Korean vet, and it is our duty to train the youth of this country about what their predecessors that were in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraq, what it means to have freedom, and they earned it for us today.

FLOCK: You gentlemen all know better than anyone. We very much appreciate your time on this special Memorial Day, a Memorial Day with when we are so close to real live military action elsewhere in the world.

That is the latest from Elmhurst Illinois. Miles, back to you.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jeff Flock in Elmhurst. Let's go to Philadelphia now, where Jamie Colby is celebrating Memorial Day in a different way. Hello, Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, it's cold here, but it isn't raining, so we got lucky. They were expecting 20,000 people here at the 18th annual "Jam on the River". Twenty bands will be playing today, including the Disco Biscuits "Old and the Gray". A lot of people here now eating. This is a food as well as music festival.

And I want to introduce you to my new friend. He says his name is Sam. He has a very important job, Miles. He's the official smile inspector.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, indeed. America's proudest citizen here in the birthplace of democracy, remembering the war dead and celebrating the fruits of their sacrifice. We've got great weather out here, and we've got a lot of Americans out here smiling, and I haven't found one yet that needed to be at all lifted up. They're all chipper. They're all going, and we're having a great time.

COLBY: Well, you could actually give them a lift, and you were checking out my smile, and you were kind enough to talk us, Same, but I've got to go check out some food because earlier, Miles, I was given some grief about not trying the alligator. So, I'm going back to Charles, who is the chef at Mulay (ph) of New Orleans. He's down here, and I have agreed, officially for you, to give an alligator sausage a try. And it is mighty spicy, Miles, but very tasty. Back to you.

O'BRIEN: You've got to be careful out there, Jamie. If you do too many of the live shots, you are going to have a little indigestion there. All right. Enjoy, Philadelphia. Enjoy Uncle Sam. Enjoy your Memorial Day. Jamie Colby preceded by Jeff Flock in Elmhurst, Illinois.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





Picnics>