County to celebrate Veterans Day

Nov. 7—CALDWELL COUNTY — Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States that honors military veterans who have served in the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day is distinct from Memorial Day, which remembers those members of the military service who gave their lives in service to our country.

Veterans Day is observed annually on Nov. 11. Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.

Veterans Day coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

In honor of Veterans Day 2022, Caldwell County will host a number of activities this week.

Thursday, Nov. 10

Oak Hill Charter School (4603 Oak Hill School Road, Lenoir) will celebrate veterans in the community at 8 a.m. in the Oak Hill School gym.

Members of the military will be taking part in special roles during the ceremony, and there will be student participation and refreshments for the veterans in the dining room of the Ruritan building next door. Students are also making special gifts of gratitude for them.

The 2022 Foothills Veterans Winter Stand Down event will take place at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center (1913 Hickory Blvd, Lenoir) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be opportunities for veterans to receive haircuts, medical services, food, clothing, shoes, employment counseling, community resources, education, fellowship, and more.

The town of Granite Falls will host a ceremony in the gymnasium at the Granite Falls Recreation Center (56 Pinewood Road) to honor all veterans including nine veterans whose names have been inscribed on the town of Granite Falls Veterans monument since the dedication ceremony last year. Patriotic music will be played and refreshments will be served starting at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. The program features a selection of live patriotic music, the presentation of colors, speeches by local Veterans, the reading of the names of Granite Falls' residents who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives while serving our country, and the placement of a wreath at the monument. For additional information about the Veterans monument, please call the Town Office at 396-3131 or visit the Town website www.granitefallsnc.com.

Friday, Nov. 11

Dysart-Kendall American Legion Post 29 will hold its annual Veterans Day Celebration starting at 11 a.m. at the Stage Area in downtown Lenoir (the intersection of Main St. and West Avenue). In case of inclement weather, the celebration will be held at the Post 29 Home, 401 N. Main St. (a block and a half north of the square). Everyone is welcome to attend. There is seating and accessibility available.

Saturday, Nov. 12

The town of Sawmills will host a Veterans Day Observance at Sawmills Veterans Memorial Park (Waterworks Road) at 11 a.m. Call Town Hall at 828-396-7903 for information and directions if needed.

Nu-Blu, host of TV's Bluegrass Ridge, will host a benefit concert for Foothills Veterans in Art (VIA) at the HUB Station Arts Center Auditorium (145 Cedar Valley Rd, Hudson) at 7 p.m. General admission is $20 per person. All proceeds will go to Caldwell Arts Council's Foothills VIA. The program receives funding in part from the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. To find more information and purchase tickets, visit caldwellarts.com.

Additionally, Lenoir City Hall and recreational facilities will be closed Friday, Nov. 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

Sanitation will not be operating on Friday, Nov 11. If your garbage is normally picked up on Friday, it will be picked up on Wednesday, Nov. 9. All other household garbage pickups will remain on a normal schedule. There will be no bulk collections during this week. The Recycling Center on Pennton Avenue will operate on a normal schedule.