Area to Honor Its Veterans
Staff ReportOn the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, area communities will pay tribute to their veterans. Events include speeches, parades and wreath placing ceremonies.
At the All Veterans Monument in Elkins, organizations will honor veterans during a ceremony Tuesday at 11 a.m. Refreshments, provided by the Elkins Retail Merchants Association, will be served following the ceremony.
Today at 6 p.m., the U.S. Marine Corps will celebrate its 233rd birthday at Mama's Kitchen along the Beverly Five-lane.
Events conclude Friday at 6 p.m. at a Veteran's Appreciation Banquet at the Alliance Community Fellowship Church in Gilman. The dinner is free to all veterans.
Sen. Jon Blair Hunter, D-14th District and chairman of the Military Committee, will serve as keynote speaker for the Tucker County Veterans Day observance. The event will take place at 11 a.m. at the Tucker County All Veterans Memorial Wall in Parsons. Veterans will place a wreath at the memorial as well as conduct a ceremony to lower the flag to half staff.
American Legion Post 44 will celebrate Veterans Day in Philippi with a variety of activities including observances at each memorial park, a parade through downtown and a ceremony at the Philippi City Building.
Members of the Legion will begin ceremonies at 9 a.m. at the Vietnam Memorial Park, and then travel to the World War I and II memorial at the Barbour County Courthouse and the Korean War Memorial Park for activities.
Following the ceremonies, a parade is scheduled for downtown Philippi. After the parade, an observation ceremony will be at the Philippi City Building. The guest speaker will be Edina Kahn, a female member of the post and former Russian intelligence analyst. Philip Barbour High School students who attended Boys and Girls State will also be recognized. A dinner will be served afterward for the veterans at the Legion Hall in Philippi.
In Belington, veterans groups will host a 10th anniversary celebration for the Belington Veterans Memorial Bridge at 1 p.m. at the bridge. Later, the Laurel Mountain VFW Post 410 Ladies Auxiliary will host a Veterans Day Dinner at 6 p.m. at the VFW in Belington. The guest speaker will be Frank M. Miles, associate director of VAMC in Clarksburg.
In Upshur County several activities are planned including a breakfast, programs and a Veterans Day Parade in Buckhannon.
On Tuesday, a veterans breakfast will be served at the Buckhannon Elks Lodge from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The annual Veterans Day Parade will begin lining up at 9:15 a.m. at the corner of College Avenue and South Florida Street. The parade will start at 9:45 a.m. proceeding down South Florida Street to East Main Street and down East Main to Chancery Street.
Following the parade, there will be a Veteran Day Service and open house at the Buckhannon VFW with guest speaker Scott Lampinen, superintendent of Upshur County Schools.
Another Veterans Day service will be at 2:30 p.m. at the Buckhannon Wal-Mart to recognize local veterans.
Veterans Day will be celebrated in Lewis County with American Legion Post 4 overseeing the day's celebration.
Events include a parade, a courthouse program immediately following the parade and a dinner at Cindy's Banquet Hall for veterans and their families.
The parade lineup will begin at Robert L. Bland Middle School at 9:30 a.m. and will step off at 10:30 a.m. A ceremony will follow at the courthouse plaza.
Anyone wishing to participate should be at RLBMS for lineup and preregistration is not required.
The Post will sponsor a baked steak or chicken buffet dinner at 6:30 p.m. at Cindy's Banquet Hall. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at Bennett's Firestone or from Post Adjutant Danny Gum.
Speaker for the dinner is expected to be Joy Fealy, a patient representative at the Louis A. Johnson VA Hospital. The Stalnaker Family singers will provide entertainment. A 50-50 raffle, door prizes and other entertainment will be part of the festivities as the post remembers veterans of all wars and peacetime.
The Pocahontas County Honor Corps, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars will host a free dinner for all veterans at noon Tuesday at the Dunmore Community Center.
The Pocahontas County Honor Corps will be at Pocahontas County High School on at 8 a.m. Thursday for posting of the colors.
