VETERANS DAY | Events and observances

A list of services, ceremonies and other events for Veterans Day as submitted to The Vindicator. All are on the holiday, Nov. 11, unless otherwise noted.

TRUMBULL

Brookfield: Brookfield High School, 614 Bedford Road SE, will honor local veterans with teacher and student-led events on the holiday. The kickoff event is a breakfast for local veterans, served at 8:45 a.m. in the cafeteria. An assembly in tribute to veterans featuring Brookfield students in grades 7-12 will follow in the high-school gymnasium at 9:30 a.m. and last for about 30 minutes. Veterans will be seated in a place of honor. Representatives from the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station as well as representatives from the Army will participate. Veterans in Brookfield, Masury and surrounding areas are encouraged to attend and can RSVP to Superintendent Tim Saxton by Monday by calling 330-448-4930 or by emailing tim.saxton@neomin.org. If transportation is needed, it can be provided at no cost to the veteran.

Brookfield: Second-grade students at Brookfield Elementary School, 614 Bedford Road SE, are celebrating Veterans Day by inviting veterans themselves to be a part of their concert. The students will perform for their family, staff, and local veterans from the community during two performances, the first at 6 p.m. on the holiday and the second at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday. The students will announce each veteran’s branch of service and singing military service anthems, as well as performing a play for the audience.

Niles: The Niles McKinley American Legion Post 106 will be observing the holiday at 11 a.m. at the Niles Cemetery, 929 Niles Vienna Road.

Warren: The W.D. Packard Concert Band will perform a Veterans Day tribute at 3 p.m. Sunday at Packard Music Hall, 1703 Mahoning Ave. NW. All Packard Band events are free and open to the public through the courtesy of the W.D. Packard Trust.

Warren: Trumbull Art Gallery, 158 N. Park Ave., is offering a free happy-hour painting class to veterans from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. An instructor will bring a completed painting to the session and will show participants how to recreate it. Refreshments provided. Call 330-395-4876 or 330-506-0080 for reservations. Class size is limited to 30.

MAHONING

Austintown: The Austintown school board and Fitch High School Band will host a Veterans Day Concert and Chili Cook-Off Sunday at the high school, 4560 Falcon Drive. The cook-off, judged by veterans of each branch of the Armed Forces, will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. in the cafeteria, and awards will be announced at the concert. The 5 p.m. concert in the high-school gym will feature patriotic performances by the Austintown Middle School’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade bands in addition to the 2014 marching music of the high-school marching band. Judge Shirley Christian of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court will narrate the band’s performance of “Duty, Honor, Country.” The performance will also showcase the Marine Corps League Detachment 494 Color Guard along with the band’s own precision color guard, flag line and rifle line. Tickets for the concert and cook-off include unlimited chili tastings, cornbread, beverage and a cupcake and will be $10 for adults, and $5 for children, veterans and senior citizens over 65. Admission to the concert only is $5 for adults, $3 for children, and free for veterans and senior citizens 65 and older. Limited handicap seating will be available at the concert. Individuals and organizations that wish to compete in the cook-off should contact band parent president Brad Gessner at 330-398-0681 for information.

Beloit: West Branch High School will host a Veterans Day celebration at 8 a.m. in the high school auditorium, 14277 S. Main St. Students will signing patriotic songs and participating in other events to honor veterans. All veterans and community members are invited to attend. There will be a reception after the ceremony for attendees.

Boardman: Genealogy experts will teach a class on exploring armed forces records, including how to pursue personnel files and unit histories in order to understand an ancestor’s role in defending our nation’s heritage, at 7 p.m. at the Boardman library, 7680 Glenwood Ave.

Boardman: Students and staff at West Boulevard Elementary, 6125 West Blvd., will host a luncheon for veterans in honor of Veterans Day at 11 a.m. West Boulevard students invited friends and family members who are veterans to attend. After the breakfast, third-grade students will perform patriotic songs for their guests.

Boardman: Students and staff at Stadium Drive Elementary, 111 Stadium Drive, will host a breakfast for veterans at 8:30 a.m. Students invited friends and family members who are veterans to attend, and over 100 veterans have responded to the request. Following the breakfast, the Stadium Drive students will perform patriotic songs.

Campbell: Christ the Good Shepherd Parish will honor veterans with a 6 p.m. prayer service at St. Lucy/Sta. Rosa Church, 394 Tenney Ave. All veterans and their families and friends are cordially invited. Fellowship and refreshments will follow.

North Jackson: Jackson-Milton High School, 13910 Mahoning Ave., will have a Veterans Day program at 9 a.m. in the cafetorium. Guest speaker will be state Sen. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd. A light lunch will be served to veterans after the program.

North Lima: Beaver Township will host a Veterans Day program at 1 p.m. today at the Beaver Township Fire Department, 601 W. South Range Road. (Note: The location for this event has changed since previous announcements). The program’s speaker will be Ralph Griffiths, retired Marine corporal. Griffiths served with E Company, given the assignment to raise the flag on Mount Suribachi creating the famous WWII image commonly referred to as “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.”

Poland: Poland Seminary High School invites veterans living in the Poland Local School District to attend an assembly honoring the local men and women of the military at 8:15 a.m. in the high school auditorium, 3199 Dobbins Road. Brian Kennedy, retired United States Marine and class of 1984 Poland graduate, will be the guest speaker. Those planning to attend should make reservations with Principal Kevin Snyder by calling 330-757-7018, ext. 4, by Monday.

Struthers: Struthers will host a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Struthers Veterans Memorial at the corner of Morrison and Euclid. Guest speaker will be James Soko, Marine E6 staff sergeant. The Struthers High School Band will participate in the service.

Struthers: The South Range eighth- grade band will perform a concert at 10 a.m. at St. Nicholas School, 762 5th St., to honor all veterans on Veterans Day. All veterans are encouraged to attend, especially those with ties to the South Range community.

Youngstown: The Donald Lockett VFW Post 6488 and Ladies Auxiliary will pay tribute to the 333rd Field Artillery United States Battalion at 11 a.m. at the post hall, 2065 Coitsville-Hubbard Road. Keynote speaker will be Rev. William Blake, director of student diversity initiatives at Youngstown State University. Lunch will be served. For information, call Herman Adams, 330-746-6823.

Youngstown: A Veterans Day ceremony at the Catholic War Veterans Post 1292, 609 Steel St., will take place at 4 p.m. For information, contact Gary Barnes at 330-719-5989.

Youngstown: The 15th annual Forgotten Heroes Veterans Day Program will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Lake Park Cemetery, 1459 E. Midlothian Blvd. Veterans to receive special recognition are Marine Cpl. Edward Johnston; Army National Guard Lt. Col. James Latronica; Army Air Corps Technical Sgt. Adam Salvatore; Air Force, Jeanette M. Hughes-Hood; and Army Air Corps Sgt. Robert W. Johnson. All veterans and the public are invited to attend the ceremony. Organizers Ron Novak and Steffon Jones said Civil War re-enactors are needed to participate. Call 330-259-2091 or 330-719-0304 for information.

Youngstown: The 23rd annual Laying of the Roses, sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 135 of Youngstown, will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Vietnam War Memorial on Central Square downtown. One rose will be placed at the monument in memory of those Mahoning County residents killed or missing in action during the Vietnam War. All veterans units are encouraged to attend and participate. The event is co-sponsored by American Legion Post 472, IAWP Youngstown Sub-Chapter and AmVets Post 44. For information, call 330-518-5536.

Youngstown: Mount Hope Veterans Memorial Park Inc., a nonprofit group organized to restore Mount Hope Cemetery, will host Veterans Day events today. A noon ceremony at the cemetery, at the intersection of Wardle Avenue and Liberty Road on the city’s East Side, will be followed by a fundraising lunch at Reed’s Chapel AME Church, 1908 Jacobs Road. The ceremony is free; a $10 entrance fee for the lunch will support the continued restoration of the cemetery. The lunch will be professionally prepared by Chef Jay and features baked chicken and rice pilaf.

Youngstown: The United Veterans Council (UVC) of Greater Youngstown and its environs will host a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Mahoning County Courthouse, 120 Market St. Guest speaker is retired U.S. Army Major Patrick Williams, the director of Youngstown State University’s Department of Veterans Affairs, and the master of ceremonies is Tony Revetti, the Junior Vice Commander and member of the Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 2 of Youngstown. All veterans and citizens of Mahoning County are encouraged to attend.

COLUMBIANA

Columbiana: Crestview High School and middle school will have an 8 a.m. continental breakfast and 9 a.m. assembly in the Performing Arts Center to honor those who have served in the armed forces. Guest speaker will be Crystal Siembida Boggs, an Army veteran who served in the 101st Airborne 3rd Brigade Rakkasans. Boggs is a 1998 graduate of Crestview High School. She is a founder of the Siembida and Boggs Philanthropic Foundation, which raises funds for veterans as well as other local community programs.

Columbiana: An all-school chapel service for Veterans Day is planned for 8:50 a.m. in the Heartland Christian School auditorium, 28 Pittsburgh St. All veterans and guests are invited to the program. The Heartland Leo Club is coordinating and sponsoring the event. Students will participate.

Columbiana: Columbiana High School and Middle School will host a Veterans Day celebration at 2 p.m. in the high school auditorium, 700 Columbiana-Waterford Road. The celebration is intended for all veterans, their family members and community members.

MERCER

Farrell, Pa.: A spaghetti dinner for veterans will take place from noon to 6 p.m. today at Moose Lodge No. 55, 1321 Sharon-New Castle Road. Veterans are invited to eat for free. Cost will be $4 for family members of veterans and $6 for all other guests. A basket auction will be offered, with all proceeds benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. For information, call 724-346-3330.

LAWRENCE

New Wilmington: Westminster College will host a recognition ceremony for the college’s and nation’s veterans at 11:40 a.m. Monday in Orr Auditorium. The wind ensemble and chamber choir will perform patriotic music, and Dr. Kirk Lunnen, an associate professor of psychology and lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve, will speak about his military experience, his veteran status and what being part of the Westminster community has meant to him. For information, contact Scott Mackenzie at 724-946-6238 or mackensa@westminster.edu.