Here it is, the weekend we’ve all been waiting for since the first snowflakes started to fall late last year. That glorious three-day weekend in late May that kicks off summer is fast approaching, and this year in Wisconsin it looks to be a beautiful one. Temperatures in the 70s should make the barbecues and family gatherings enjoyable throughout the state. And of course, don’t forget that a nice long weekend just begs for some caches to be found.

What we also must not forget is why we have this three-day weekend. Since the founding of our great nation, many a life has been lost preserving the freedoms we know. We have not always paused as a nation to remember those lives. I chose 1868 for my WSQ number in the title because it is one of several years that Memorial Day observances began. 1866 could be another year, but that was a Southern tradition that has faded, and 1868 was the year the North began observing Decoration Day on the last  Monday of May. Decoration Day began as a day to remember the soldiers who had fallen during the Civil War. Over time, these observances began to encompass the fallen from all US conflicts. Today, Memorial Day honors all veterans who have passed on. This is seen through the decoration of veterans’ graves all over the country with American flags. Seeing a field of flags in one of our national cemeteries is quite a sight.

This weekend, a lot of us will be out caching in the beautiful weather. If you find yourself passing by a WSQ, stop in and see just how many flags you can find in our small cemeteries that dot the countryside. If you do a little research before you go, you could even find yourself watching a local American Legion or VFW post having a memorial service in one of these cemeteries. A lot of these veterans organizations will visit cemeteries local to their post and read the names of the veterans buried there and give a 21 gun salute.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend, whatever you find yourself doing. I would ask that at sometime while you are walking down the trail, or sitting down to brats and burgers fresh off the grill, or even enjoying the company of friends around the campfire, stop and remember why you have the freedom to do all of these wonderful things we enjoy. And by the way, when you’re picking up your caching fuel, or goodies for your barbecue, give a dollar to the seasoned veteran outside the grocery store for a poppy. I’ll let you guys look up the meaning of that, but the field of poppies was an interesting story to me.