ROCKFORD — This Saturday, people will honor the legacy of servicemen from Rockford by gathering at Rockford Methodist Church for the 23rd annual Memorial Day service sponsored by the Rockford Preservation Society.

“We want to remember and memorialize those who sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice,” said Hannah Holyfield, president of Rockford Preservation Society.

The service will begin at 3 p.m. in the church located in historic Rockford, and Holyfield estimates that the service will last around an hour.

This year the program will feature a performance by Dr. David B. Thompson, professor of music at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C., titled “Confederates at the Keyboard: Piano Music During the Civil War Era.” Thompson will be dressed in period clothing as he discusses the Southern composers whose music was prominent during the Civil War and the role of the keyboard in Confederate society. During his presentation, he reads excerpts from diaries, letters and memoirs and performs some traditional selections.

“I’m expecting it to be good,” said Holyfield. “I’ve heard great things about him.”

Thompson is a nationally-certified piano teacher and maintains an active schedule as a performer and adjudicator. He has performed throughout the United States and in England, Germany, Korea and Iceland. Thompson is a member of several honor societies and recently completed a two-year term as state president of the South Carolina Music Teachers Association.

Each year the society brings in a different speaker to talk about one of the war periods. Holyfield said, “There’s a different focus each year, but we always have a good time.”

In addition to Thompson’s presentation, the service will include a reading of a roster of servicemen and singing of patriotic songs by the congregation. The roster includes the names of people from Rockford who have served in the military, ending with the Vietnam War. There are around 65 people on the roster, according to Holyfield. She said the list grows each year as they continue to learn of more servicemen.

After the service, refreshments will be served. Attendees then will be invited to place flags on soldier’s graves in the Rockford Community Cemetery at Rockford Baptist Church.

“A lot of folks that come to the program do have an ancestor there, but not everyone,” Holyfield noted.

Last year around 50 or 60 people attend the service. “That’s a pretty good crowd for a Saturday on Memorial Day weekend,” said Holyfield. She hopes to have high attendance again this year.

“It’s a way to remember why we’re celebrating Memorial Day ... We will continue it every year whether there’s 10 people or 100 people,” Holyfield remarked.

Parking for the service and flag ceremony is available at Rockford Methodist Church and Rockford Baptist Church.

The Rockford Preservation Society, a non-profit organization, was created in 1972. Its members work to preserve the history and sites of Rockford, formerly the county seat of Surry.

For more information about the society or the event this weekend, visit www.rememberrockford.com or call Hannah Holyfield at 374-3825.

Contact Meghann Evans at mevans@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.