Area Veterans’ Day events on tap

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By Dan King and Jamie Norton

Northern Washington County, and the county as a whole for that matter, will be honoring its veterans next week.

Every church throughout the county will toll its bells on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to commemorate Veterans’ Day, a tradition that was started a few years ago by Hartford Supervisor Dana Haff.

“At first I had to send letters out to every church in the county,” Haff said. “Now most of them know about this tradition, because we’ve been doing it for a few years now.”
Whitehall

American Legion Post 83 is always heavily involved in the various holidays that commemorate America’s servicemen and women, especially Veterans’ Days, which takes place next Wednesday.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month Commander Anthony Huntington will lead American Legion Post 83 in conducting ceremonies in Riverside Veterans Memorial Park.  The ceremony will also include a Dignified Disposal of Unserviceable Flag Ceremony.

Rev. Paul Shepard of the Grace Baptist Church will give the invocation.

Members of the Post will be assisted by Mr. Lane’s 6th and 7th grade special education class, from Whitehall Central School, in removing Veterans’ Grave Flags from Our Lady of Angels and GreenMount Cemeteries Tuesday at 10 a.m.

A light lunch will be served at the Post following Wednesday’s ceremonies.  All are welcome.

The event, each year, includes moving speeches from various members of community groups, such as the American Legion and the Legion Auxiliary, as well as government officials such as the mayor and town supervisor.

Throughout this week, volunteers will be combing local cemeteries removing unserviceable flags.  Anyone with flags in need of disposable may drop them off at the post.

Granville

Butch Hulburt of Granville’s VFW Post 1653 is hoping more people will attend the early-morning Veterans’ Day ceremony at Granville High School. It begins at 8 a.m., and Hurlburt said attendance is usually minimal.

“We don’t get a lot of turnout because it’s 8:00 in the morning,” he said. “We only have two World War II veterans left in Granville that I know of … Granville’s a very patriotic community; for our veterans, it shows the support that our community has. That’s the best homage they can do – to come out and show the veterans that, yes, we absolutely support you.”

The ceremony at the monument on the front lawn of the school includes a short dedication service, laying of a wreath, “Taps” by buglers from the high school band, and a salute to the veterans who are both still with us as well as those who have passed on. The entire program takes about 20 minutes.

Following the ceremony, participants will begin meeting at the East Main Street parking lot to prepare for this year’s parade.

The parade is expected to begin at 10 a.m. and will include floats, local veterans, fire departments, the Patriot Guard Riders and the American Legion Riders. Line-up for the parade is at 9:30 a.m.

Hulburt said the VFW is still looking for more Veterans’ Day-themed or patriotic floats for the parade. Cash prizes will be awarded for first-, second-, and third-place floats.

One float that is already secured for the parade is the VFW Auxiliary’s food pantry float. The Auxiliary is asking people who come watch the parade to bring some non-perishable food items to donate. Those items will be collected during the parade and taken immediately to the local food pantry.

“We try to support our local veterans, and we try to give back to the food pantry at the same time,” said Auxiliary Post 1653 President Sherry Stoddard. “Come out and just support the parade. March if you are able to, get a float together if you are able to.”

Stoddard said it’s important to pay tribute to the veterans.

“It means that they know that they’re appreciated for what they did and their service and they’re not forgotten about,” she said. She added that both the VFW and the Auxiliary are looking for more members. Anyone interested in joining may call Butch Hulburt at 518-361-0185.

Hartford

New this year, in Hartford will be “Greenlight a Vet,” an event that is being organized by Haff.

“’Greenlight a Vet’ is a national campaign to shed light on the difficulty vets often have transitioning from uniform into civilian life. A green light is to be put somewhere visible like a porch, etc and turned on for the month of November,” Haff said. “A Hartford constituent purchased 50 green lightbulbs at Walmart and gave them to me to distribute. These bulbs will be available free at Hartford Town Hall, Hartford Post Office, and the Gibson Hardware Store.”

Additionally, in Hartford, the bell ringing gets a little competitive.

Haff said the two churches compete during the bell ringing. He said the friendly competition works very well because the two churches are across the street from each other.

The bells of the churches throughout Washington County ring for one full minute during this recognition of what was once called “Armistice Day.”

Anyone looking for more information on the “Greenlight a Vet” event should contact Haff at 518-632-9178.