Veterans Day events, programs in Stark area

The Repository
·6 min read

Area organizations will recognize Veterans Day with ceremonies, tributes and programs. Here’s a look at some of what is planned locally:

Canton

  • The Greater Canton Veterans Service Council will have an observance of Veterans Day at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 inside American Legion Post 44, 1633 Cleveland Ave. NW, Canton. (Note that this is a change in location; the event had been set for outdoors at Westbrook Veterans Memorial Park.) This is a yearly event held by the Veterans Council for the benefit of Canton and neighboring communities. Guest speakers will include Canton Mayor Thomas Bernabei. The public is invited. Two Veterans of the Year will be honored − Gary L. Ickes (U.S. Army) and the late Bradley B. Teis (U.S. Navy). The Veterans of the Year were chosen from requested nominations submitted to the council from many organizations, American Legion, AMVETS, VFW, Blue Star Mothers and others. The Veteran of the Year is then chosen by secret ballot, voted on by previous members of Stark County Veterans of the Year.

  • The Pro Football Hall of Fame, 2121 George Halas Drive NW, will hold a Veterans Day Event & Expo from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 11 to honor military veterans by offering free admission and parking to all US service members, National Guard members, and veterans with one guest. Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Families will also receive free admission and parking. Plus, get a free commemorative Veterans Day pin (while supplies last) and a 20% discount at the Hall of Fame Store. The hall will also present a Veterans Day Expo featuring Caregiver Support, Community Legal Aid, Honor Home, Honor Flight Cleveland, Legacy of Honor, Patriot Project, Stark County Veterans Service Commission, Stark County Vet Center, Suicide Prevention, Warrior Beat and others. Stark County Veterans Service Commission Executive Director De Ann Williams will be the featured speaker at noon in the Hall's James Allen Family Gold Jacket Lounge during the expo, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • The Pro Football Hall of Fame also is hosting the inaugural Heroes Gala: A Love Letter to Veterans the evening of Nov. 11. This special evening will kick off with a roaming cocktail hour throughout the museum followed by dinner and a program. Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris will host a roundtable with Linda DeHoff, co-author of “Open This Letter in Ten Years: Life Lessons from Dad’s Love Letters,” and Marie Tillman, author of “The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss and Life,” about their experiences as family members of those who served and the letters they sent. Silent and live auction items will be available. All proceeds from the event will be donated to distinguished organizations benefitting military service members, veterans and their families: Legacy of Honor and the Pat Tillman Foundation. For more information, visit www.profootballhof.com/events/2022/11/heroes-gala-a-love-letter-to-veterans/.

  • The Stark County Honor Court Program for justice-involved veterans will celebrate its 43rd graduation ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday at Warrior Beat, 318 Cherry Ave. NE. Nashville recording artist and Ohio native Jill Jordan Burke will perform the national anthem and "God Bless America." Stark County Veterans Service Commission Executive Director De Ann Williams will perform a presentation titled "Old Glory" in recognition of Veterans Day. Warrior Beat will perform at the end of the program. This ceremony marks 127 graduates having successfully completed the program since it was founded in 2011. The ceremony celebrates their completion of an intensive program of comprehensive treatment, close supervision and full accountability. All veterans and the general public are encouraged to attend. Honor Court participants will present a color guard, and a reception for family and friends of the graduates will follow the ceremony.

Green

The annual City of Green Veterans Day Ceremony will be at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 11 at Green Veterans Memorial Park, 1900 Steese Road.

Jackson Township

Sunset Hills Burial Park will host a Veterans Day Celebration at its Liberty Square at 5001 Everhard Road from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 11. Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem will be at noon. Operation Flags of Freedom will be there, and refreshments will be available. There will be a raffle for a veterans plaque on the Veterans Wall in Liberty Square. For more information, call 330-494-2051.

Lake Township

Lake Middle High School, 709 Market Ave. SW, will host its annual Veterans Day Celebration on Nov. 11. All veterans and their families are invited. An informal morning reception for all veterans will be in the Lake Middle High School cafeteria beginning at 7:45 a.m. The ceremony, including speakers and music, will follow from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the high school gymnasium. Enter through door 36 off Market Avenue by the Lake Community Library or door 22 by the YMCA. You do not need to RSVP for this event.

Massillon

Take a walking tour of downtown Massillon’s historic buildings and through its Veterans Memorial Park with local historian Margy Vogt at 2 p.m. Nov. 11. The tour will begin outside the Massillon Museum and encompass about eight blocks.

Walkers will learn general local history, but special attention will be paid to Veterans Memorial Park and stories of patriotism and heroism in honor of Veterans Day. Fallen police officers and firefighters will be remembered. Learn about the big flag that flies atop the city and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Viaduct, and see Lincoln Way refreshed and lined with flags and veteran banners.

The tour is wheelchair accessible. The $10 fee may be paid at the beginning of the tour. Reservations are not necessary. Free parking is available on city streets and lots. In case of rain, the tour will be canceled; call 330-844-1525 for last-minute weather checks. For more information, contact Margy Vogt at 330-832-8469 or vogt@sssnet.com.

Plain Township

Plain Township will have its Salute to Veterans event from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Central Fire Station, 1742 Schneider St. NE, and Veterans Park. Plain Township Parks and Fire Department will provide brunch to the first 200 people. The Stark County Sheriff's Office Guard will present and retire the colors. GlenOak High School's Drifters and Oakwood Middle School Notables will perform at 12:10 p.m. Following the retirement of the colors at 12:32 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Purple Heart Monument at the Veterans Memorial Hillside beginning at 12:45 p.m.

North Canton

North Canton will have a Veterans Day ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon Nov. 11 at Bitzer Park, 200 S. Main St.

Veterans Day discounts and deals

For a list of Veterans Day discounts and deals, visit https://veteran.com/veterans-day-discounts-deals/.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Veterans Day events and programs in Stark area