“It seems to me as though the coal region towns have more than their fair share of veterans.” With those words, Eric Zizelmann explains how and why he became a catalyst for Tamaqua Remembers, a volunteer group planning something special for next Memorial Day.

Memorial Day 2018 will mark a milestone, as it will be the 150th anniversary of Memorial Day, which Tamaqua celebrates with a program and parade. The Zizelmann family has been a part of that tradition since 1988, when Jon Zizelmann was asked to be the main speaker at the ceremony held at Odd Fellows Cemetery.

The next year, he accepted the master of ceremonies responsibilities, a tradition he carried on for 28 years before passing the torch to his son.

When he accepted that torch in 2014, the younger Zizelmann had fleeting thoughts of the upcoming 150th anniversary. Through the years, he would remember the upcoming milestone and think of commemorative ideas.

“I starting thinking what more can we do in addition to the parade and service? The observance should be more than just one day.”

Successful community events, such as “Dear Tamaqua” and the “Tamaqua Has Heart” projects convinced him the community does care and the possibility of a monthlong event quickly turned into more than a dream.

A Facebook post on his personal page this past May attracted 14 volunteers. Since then, the volunteer list has doubled, bringing unique ideas, interests and talents.

They started with a few vague ideas, which quickly mushroomed into four categories: entertainment, public service events, artistic expression and commemoration.

While many ideas are still in the planning stages, the group has solidified several others, including fundraisers to help defray costs.

The observance has also attracted two special guests: retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters and Tracy Fisher, a government attorney whose college thesis centered on World War I veterans killed in action overseas.

Peters is a best-selling author and Fox News military analyst. Much of his work, fiction and nonfiction, centers on the Civil War. His newest work is “The Damned of Petersburg: A Novel.”

The fictional tale blends history and conjecture, weaving a story around the 1864 Battle of Petersburg, Virginia.

Fisher is an “Army brat” who traveled with her father to assignments in Michigan, Illinois, Kansas, West Germany and Texas. She holds degrees in electrical engineering, national security studies and American history as well as her law degree.

For her dissertation in history, she used thousands of letters between the War Department and the families of the men killed in World War I. Those families had to make the choice of having their loved ones’ remains returned home or buried in Europe.

A Tamaqua Remembers Facebook page has already been created and attracted 271 followers in just two weeks. An official logo has been selected and the group is working on a website.

Confirmed activities and events include a lottery calendar, a video series, a home and business decorating contest, an old-time radio show, a blood drive and sending care packages for local troops serving overseas.

A list of all Tamaqua residents who were killed in combat is being compiled, attempting to identify all those going back to the Civil War.

So far, Chris Fulmer has managed to amass the names of 102 residents who were killed in action.

Fundraising will begin with the sale of patriotic bows, bunting and wreaths at the Tamaqua Heritage Festival on Sunday.

There will be a limited number of bows available immediately, in time for Veterans Day, while orders will be taken for items to be delivered before the May celebration.

Anyone interested in helping plan the many events may visit the Tamaqua remembers Facebook page. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 14, at the Tamaqua Community Art Center, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua.

“Honoring those who have given their lives for our freedom shouldn’t be confined to just one day a year,” Zizelmann said.

“Finding ways to show our appreciation, especially these days, just seems like the right thing to do.”