Area offers plenty of Veteran’s Day celebrations
Some of these include:
GRANITE SHOALS
The city will host its third Annual Veterans Parade and Celebration Nov 8.
“This is the third annual event and we are reaching out beyond Burnet County to the Texas Hill Country to include Blanco, Burnet, Lampasas, Llano, Mason and San Saba counties,” said chairwoman Toni King. “Our goal is to make this the largest celebration of our veterans in Central Texas, ever.”
King said this is a “wonderful opportunity” for communities to honor veterans and show their gratitude.
“We encourage you to bring your area veterans on floats, as well as your marching bands, your schoolchildren, your Scouts, your ‘kings and queens,’ horse-drawn carriages, your mounted posses, all nonprofit organizations, your city and county officials and all other patriots who wish to participate.”
The only requirement for floats and vehicles, carriages and horses is that they be decorated in red, white and blue and every individual carry a U.S. flag.
King also requests all veterans organizations to participate with decorated floats that can include color guards, honor guards, drill teams, marching units, equestrian units, all military/POW flags, military vehicles, replicas and memorabilia.
Limited commercial entrants/participants are welcome for a sponsorship fee of $50 on a first come, first served basis, she added.
Donations are needed.
The theme is “Freedom is never free” and can be displayed at will.
Lineup is at 10:30 a.m. at the water tower on Phillips Ranch Road and the parade starts 30 minutes later, headed south to Park 10.
“The program will follow the parade at the newly named Veterans Memorial Park, 1600 S. Phillips Ranch Road in Granite Shoals,” King said.
For more information and/or a parade entry form, e-mail King at tonigking@yahoo.com or call (830) 598-6971.
Donation checks can be made payable to Annual Veterans Celebration Fund, P.O. Box 2812, Granite Shoals, TX 78654.
BURNET
Staff and students of R.J. Richey and Bertram elementary schools invite the community to honor veterans with a special tribute at the Burnet High School Bulldog Stadium Nov. 11 at 10 a.m., located near the high school at 1000 The Green Mile.
The Burnet High School band will play, and there will be a Commemorative Air Force flyover.
Visitors are invited to stay for the All-American Lunch at $3 per adult and $1.75 for children. Lunch is complimentary for all veterans.
Following the celebration, veterans will be paraded from the field in vehicles provided by Cecil Atkisson Motors to the Burnet Courthouse Square for a 1 p.m. celebration. The route is west on FM 963 from Richey, then south on U.S. 281 to Jackson Street, and left to the Square. There will be a posting of the colors, the Pledge of Allegiance, a prayer for veterans and their safety, and the dedication of a new kiosk on the Square.
Any veteran who brings one of their combat unit patches to the dedication or sends it beforehand to Veterans Service Officer Chuck Caraway, 220 S. Pierce St. Burnet, TX 78611, will have it placed around the edges of the kiosk with their name and unit number inscribed.
Newly elected Sheriff W. T. Smith, who also is a veteran, is the keynote speaker. There also will be with short speeches by the commanders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, and possibly other officials. Volunteers who want to assist with decorations, flags and bunting can call (512) 715-5271.
HORSESHOE BAY
The Men of Faith at the Church of Horseshoe Bay will celebrate Veteran’s Day 8 a.m. Nov. 11 with a breakfast in Fellowship Hall, 600 Hi Ridge. The guest speaker will be U.S. Naval Academy graduate Debbie Powell, who was aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Cole when it was attacked by terrorists while refueling in Yemen. Her remarks will include her personal experiences during the emergency as well as the bravery of her fellow sailors.
Tickets are $10. For more, call (830) 598-8390. Reservations are encouraged.
MARBLE FALLS
The Highland Lakes Honor Guard invites the community to a free Veterans Day program at First United Methodist Church, 1101 Bluebonnet Drive, 7 p.m. Nov. 11
The program begins with the Hill Country Community Band performing a medley of patriotic music before the opening ceremonies commence with the advancement of colors, and a narration of the history of the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem.
There will be a special musical salute to and recognition of all veterans, followed by special remarks by a member of the honor guard.
A final tribute will be offered through a symbolic presentation of a Battlefield Memorial Service that explains the meaning and history of the ceremony.
The honor guard is a nonprofit organization comprised solely of war veterans who volunteer their time to render military funeral honors at no cost to the families of deceased veterans.
They are the only civilian honor guard in Burnet and Llano counties authorized by the Department of Defense to render military funeral honors as authorized providers.
For more, visit www.HighlandLakesHonorGuard.org or call honor guard commander Charlie Taylor at (325) 248-0450.
MARBLE FALLS
The Noon Rotary Club of Marble Falls will dedicate a memorial in Johnson Park to America’s armed forces on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
The ceremony for the Fallen Soldiers Veterans Memorial Monument is 11 a.m. in the park, 230 Ave. J South.
A large granite monument created by Granite Mountain Stone Design will be unveiled at the southwest corner of Avenue J and Yett Street, and a ceremony will take place paying tribute to America’s fallen soldiers.
There will also be a Veteran’s Day Parade beginning at 10 a.m. on Main Street at Third Street and ending at the memorial in Johnson Park.
The parade is coordinated by the Civic Roundtable, a newly formed group made up of local service organizations.
A flyover is planned by club member and Air Force veteran Dick Simpson.
VFW Post 10376
MARBLE FALLS — Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10376 invite all veterans and their families to a free dinner Nov. 11 from noon to 8 p.m. There will be door prizes. The post is located at 1001 Veterans Ave. off of RR 1431 West. For more, call Lloyd Crippen at (512) 755-3208.