With Veterans Day around the corner on Wednesday, Nov. 11, events are being planned by various organizations throughout Lewis County to honor those who served in the U.S. armed forces.
In Centralia, the American Legion Grant Hodge Post 17 will host its annual Veterans Day ceremony starting at 10 a.m. at the post, located at 111 W. Main St. in downtown Centralia.
Following the ceremony, the traditional Grand Hodge Post 17 Bean Feed will commence. The post will also be open to the public for the holiday, according to the post’s website. For more information, visit https://granthodgepost17.org/home or follow the Grant Hodge Post 17 Post on Facebook.
In Chehalis, the Veterans Memorial Museum will host its annual Veterans Day program, featuring award-winning documentary film maker and veterans advocate Larry Cappetto as the keynote speaker.
Free to attend, the program begins at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11 and will also feature music by the Heritage Church Choir. The Veterans Memorial Museum is located at 100 SW Veterans Way in Chehalis. To learn more, visit the museum’s website at https://www.veteransmuseum.org/ or follow the Veterans Memorial Museum on Facebook.
Down in South Lewis County, Veterans Day parades and ceremonies are being planned in both Winlock and Toledo.
In Winlock, members of the Winlock City Council, the Winlock School District and anonymous donors have stepped up to replace aging U.S. and U.S. military branch flags according to a post by Winlock City Councilor Dave Anderson in the Winlock, WA Community Forum Facebook group.
Anderson, himself a retired U.S. Army chief warrant officer helicopter pilot, was one of many in the community who wanted the flags replaced before the upcoming holiday, as they are planning a walking parade around Winlock starting at 1 p.m. on Nov. 11. Following the parade, an official flag retirement ceremony will be held for the old flags, along with a display of military vehicles at the city plaza.
And in Toledo, a Veterans Day parade is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Nov. 11 in the city, according to https://toledovet.org/, where registration for the parade can also be completed online. The parade will begin behind the Toledo Middle School, located at 311 S. Sixth St. in Toledo.
Following the parade, a ceremony will be held at the Veterans Wall, at Kemp Olson Memorial Park, starting at 11:11 a.m., with the park located at 600 S. Sixth St. in Toledo.
Additionally, while schools in the county will be closed to mark the holiday, many will be holding Veterans Day ceremonies on the day preceding the holiday, Tuesday, Nov. 10. Check local school district websites and social media pages for announcements of Veterans Day ceremony times and locations.
