About 40 scouts of all ages did their part to honor the deceased veterans at Lakeview Cemetery in Windsor on Friday.

In what has become a tradition for Windsor's Boy Scouts Troop 88 and Cub Scouts Pack 57, the boys spend time the Friday afternoon before Memorial Day to plant nearly 300 white crosses and American flags next to the grave sites of those who served in the military. The scouts, along with members of the Knights of Columbus chapter from Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church in Windsor, have united for the service project for the last three years. The scouts will be back at the cemetery, located at the corner of Main Street and Weld County Road 19, at 10 a.m. Monday to participate in the Memorial Day ceremony along with members of the American Legion Post in Windsor.

Dennis Deason, 44, of Severance and his son, Kade, 11, have participated in the tradition for several years.

“For a lot of kids this age, they really don't know war like my grandparents and parents did,” Deason said. “I remember my grandparents telling me about World War II where they didn't have sugar, and they didn't have anything. Wars now, it's like nothing changes here. It's important that they understand. I did it when I was a Boy Scout in California. Every year we went to a cemetery there and spent three days putting the flags out. It's nice for people to see the Boy Scouts are still doing stuff.”

Kade Deason said it's special to honor the veterans.

“Without them, things would probably be different,” said Kade, who will enter the sixth grade in the fall.

Tracey Loeffelholz, 42, committee chairman for the service project, and his son, Alex, 14, have planted crosses and flags at the cemetery for five years. “I think it's a way to give back and a way to honor the veterans that have served our country,” Loeffelholz said. “To get that message across, one of the veterans came and spoke to the troop, and I know there are some dads who have served in the military and they are able to speak better to the boys and kind of get their experiences across and what they've done for the country and how they served their country.”

First-graders through seniors in high school participated in the project.

Loeffelholz said beside the cemetery project, the scouts also do service projects during the year such as lake cleanup and highway pickup of trash.

“We really try to teach how to give back to the community,” he said.

Alex Loeffelholz, who will be freshman at Windsor High School in the fall, said it was an honor to plants the flags and crosses for the veterans.

“We get to honor the vets that have passed and served our country,” Alex said. “Most of the troop came out. It is pretty nice to see that they're participating in this kind of stuff. The past years, we haven't had a very big turnout.”

Don Lowe, 65, of the Knights of Columbus said the Knights' mission is patriotism, and they also value what the Boy Scouts do.

“You hear about this an awful lot about the World War II veterans all dying. If they don't pass the word on, their memory will be lost,” Lowe said. “That's kind of the purpose of Memorial Day is to remember that. They're being remembered for their ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom, and I know the Boy Scouts do a really good job with that.”

Andrew Heyer, 17, made more than 300 crosses last year to replace the old ones for his Eagle Scout project. Andrew said it's important for the Boys Scouts to participate in the crosses and flags project.

“It shows our reverence and respect to all the people who served our country,” said Andrew, who will be a senior at Windsor High School in the fall. “It shows that we can still have our freedom, we can still do our activities we want in school and out of school and be able to live our lives without the worries of other people around the world trying to harm us. It helps people remember that are many people who made sacrifices to our country.”

Memorial Day weekend events — Memorial Day ceremony: In observance of the holiday, the American Legion Post will be hosting a ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday at Lakeview Cemetery in Windsor. In addition, the American Legion Post, 624 Ash St., will host a breakfast from 6-9 a.m. Monday, free for veterans, $5/plate for non-veterans, and barbecue lunch, with a cost of $5/plate. For further information, contact the American Legion at (970) 686-9966. — Chimney Park Pool opens for the 2011 summer season: Open swim will be held through Tuesday from 1-6 p.m. Wednesday will begin regular pool hours. See the Link brochure, or visit www.windsorgov.com in the Parks and Recreation aquatics pages for detailed times. Pool passes are available for purchase at the Windsor Community Recreation Center. — Sign up for the first session of swim lessons: Web registrations will be accepted Monday and Tuesday. All registrations will be accepted Wednesday and Thursday. Morning lessons will be held Monday-Friday (June 6–17), and evening lessons will be held Monday-Thursday, June 6-23. For level requirements and web registration, visit www.windsorgov.com . — Windsor Lake opens for the 2011 summer season: The Windsor Lake will be open through Aug. 28 for boat rentals, swimming beach, and motorized boating. Motorized and non-motorized boating permits may be purchased at the Windsor Community Recreation Center. — Town Hall and the Community Recreation Center will be closed on Monday in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Normal business hours will resume Tuesday at Town Hall, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Summer hours will begin on Tuesday at the Community Recreation Center: 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 1-6 .p.m. Sunday. — Source: Town of Windsor