Among the public houses decorated the most noticeable were the Burnett House, Thedieck & Ratermann, Moerhing Bros. and the Valley City House. The private residences of W. D. Hughes, Mrs. John Mathers, General Murray and Col. Zinn were beautified with flags, cedar and flowers. Many others were also decorated in a beautiful and pretty manner.

At about 1 o’clock the line began forming in front of the Monumental Building and after some delay, took up the line of march according to the programme. Marshal of the day, Captain E. E. Nutt, led the van. After him came the veterans. William Fielding and William Van Fossen marched at the head of the veterans, and carried the war scarred colors of the old 99th Ohio Regiment. The flag Mr. Van Fossen carried was the same one he so gallantly and triumphantly bore through the war. Both of the flags bore unmistakable evidence of having seen service. They were faded, rent and soiled, yet the red, white and blue—the colors all true Americans hold dear—still gleamed forth.

Then came the little girls, innocent in their youth, giving to the procession a pleasing effect, and making a beautiful picture. The Fire Department followed, and a finer looking set of men never formed in procession stalwart, strong, and noble in their bearing. The hose reels of the fire companies Tawawa, No. 1, Valley City, No. 2, Niagara, No. 3, and the Pioneer Hook and Ladder Wagon, were all neat and clean as could be, and trimmed, as they were, with evergreens, flags and flowers, looked quite pretty and attractive. The men were well drilled, and marched with the precision and correctness of trained soldiers.

The bands discoursing their finest music, followed in the wake of the Fire Department. Tappe’s band in their handsome and showy uniforms, with their new drum major Adam Miller, with his tall bear skin hat, gorgeous uniform and glistening bright staff, which he twirled with a practiced and skilled hand, were the cynosure of all eyes. The Fire Department was followed by the Odd Fellows and Knights of Pythias. The carriages brought up rear and formed a long line. The vehicle that led was profusely decked with flowers and evergreens. It had three mottoes bearing the inscriptions, "Peace and Good Will to All," "Honor the Dead," and "God Bless our Country."

Having marched through the principal streets according to the programme, the procession wended its way to the different cemeteries, where the touching and commendable rites of strewing flowers upon the resting places of our sleeping heroes were gone through with. Little girls dressed in white spread the flowers. After all the graves had been decorated, the immense concourse of people came back to town and repaired to the court house square to listen to the orator of the day, Hon. Durbin Ward.