Whidbey Island residents will have a number of opportunities to celebrate Veterans Day this year.
While Veterans Day is officially Tuesday, Nov. 11, local events are being held the weekend prior.
The third annual Oak Harbor Veterans Day Parade will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8., in downtown Oak Harbor along Pioneer Way.
World War II veterans Eva Brown, Francis Skinner and Pat Ricketts will serve as the Grand Marshals.
The parade will include local leaders, along with both veteran and active duty personnel and organizations.
The American Legion Auxiliary Post 141 will be handing out “buddy” poppies at the Mukilteo ferry dock 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, and again at the Clinton ferry dock 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9.
The poppy is the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and “buddy” poppies are assembled by disabled and needy veterans in Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals.
All donations received for the poppies will be used in the support of veterans and their families.
There will also be a program on Veterans Day.
“A Musical Tribute to our Veterans” will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Oak Harbor High School Performing Arts Center.
This year’s ceremony will feature musical performances by the An-O-Chords barbershop chorus, the Daybreak Trio, the Oak Harbor High School Harbor Singers and Treble Choir, the All-Island Community Band, and the Oak Harbor High School NJROTC Color Guard.
The guest speaker will be Chief Petty Officer Gabriel Zaldivar.
This marks the 10th year of this community-wide event, which is sponsored by the Oak Harbor Area Council, Navy League of the United States.
Veterans Day is traditionally celebrated on the same date as the former Armistice Day, inaugurated to commemorate the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918. The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year marks the occasion. Each year, communities across the United States honor those who have served our country, under the broad theme of “Honoring our Nation’s Heroes.”
