GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Few, if any, cities commemorate the ultimate sacrifices like Green Cove Springs. 

Spring Park will be awash in red, white and blue, khaki tan, green and blue. Soldiers, young and old, gray and sharp, men and women, all still sharp with reverence and purpose, will start Green Cove Springs RiverFest with the true meaning of Memorial Day by observing those who preserved our freedom with their lives. 

RiverFest is a day-long event on Monday, May 25, from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Memorial Day ceremony at the Gazebo featuring veteran recognitions, a flyover by the Dreamland Squadron, guest speakers, wreath laying, bell ringing and a performance of TAPS will be from 10-11:30 a.m. 

Then the park opens to the fun and freedom our military heroes died to protect. 

There will be more than 100 food trucks, displays and craft vendors. 

Live music includes sets by Island Blues Band, Beyond Walls, Rice Creek Boys, Kali Bersten, Velvet Edison, Joseph Cartoland and ending with featured artists Lyndie Burris and Second Wind. 

A Kids Zone will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with wrist bands for sale for $10. 

The annual Rubber Duck Race along Spring Creek will be at 2 p.m., and the night will end with another massive fireworks show over the St. Johns River by Green Cove Springs-based North Florida Pyrotechnics.