Local ceremonies announced for Veterans Day
STERLING – Veterans Day ceremonies are being held Wednesday across the Sauk Valley.
- The combined veterans organizations and the Sauk Valley Marine Corps League will have ceremonies in Sterling and Rock Falls.
The Rock Falls ceremony will be at 10:30 a.m. at Rock Falls Veterans Park, at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street. A rifle salute will take place, and Mayor David Blanton and Rock Falls Legion Commander Bill James will speak.
The Sterling ceremony will be at 11 a.m. at Grandon Civic Center in downtown Sterling. Larry Dennis, a World War II prisoner of war, will speak, and the Sterling High School band will perform.
After the ceremonies, a combined honor guard will recognize veterans at nursing homes in Sterling and Rock Falls.
- In Dixon, veterans will gather at 11:11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, at the intersection of state Route 2 and Palmyra Road. The ceremony will last for about an hour, and will be followed by open house luncheons at the Dixon Veterans of Foreign Wars post, 1560 Franklin Grove Road (state Route 38) and the Dixon American Legion, 1120 W. First St.
- In Polo, Centennial School, 308 S. Pleasant St., will have ceremonies honoring veterans starting with an 8 a.m. breakfast for veterans in the school lunchroom. At 9 a.m., state Rep. Jim Sacia will speak. District Superintendent Chris Rademacher and Polo School Board President Paul Mitchell will present school diplomas to veterans, followed by a presentation, “Salute To Veterans.”
A Union League flag made during the Civil War, and donated to the Polo Historical Society by New York resident Bob Zick, will be on display, as will a 1912 flag with 48 stars. Artwork done by Centennial students will be displayed in the hallways.
- The Oregon Veterans of Foreign Wars ceremony begins at 10:15 a.m. at its headquarters, 1310 W. Washington St. A potluck meal will follow the ceremony.
- Amboy Junior High School, at 140 S. Appleton Ave., will have a Veterans Day ceremony starting at 10 a.m. in the school gym. Five veterans from Amboy Nursing Home will attend, as will five veterans from the Dixon National Guard Bravo Troop. President Barack Obama’s Veterans Day proclamation will be read.
- Mount Morris American Legion Post 143 will have its annual Veterans Day dinner at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Mount Morris Senior Center, 9 E. Front St.
All local veterans are invited to attend, along with a spouse or friend. Donations will be accepted for the meal. For more information, or to reserve a spot, call Doug Wean, 815-734-1338.
- Tampico’s Veterans Day ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in Reagan Park, on Main Street. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony at the Tampico Historical Society, 119 Main St. For more information, call Joan Johnson, 815-622-8705.
