Veterans Day is on Thursday, Nov. 11, and Northeast Georgia cities, schools and organizations have events in place to honor and celebrate the service of veterans.
Habersham County veterans with the Grant-Reeves Veteran’s Honor Guard will participate at the annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Rabun County Courthouse. The event begins at 10:40 a.m. and goes to 11:45 a.m. Thursday. Following the events, the guard will return to Habersham County for another ceremony preceding the grand opening of the new Grant-Reeves Veterans Center in Cornelia, located at 174 Cornelia Crossing.
The ceremony will begin at 4:45 p.m., followed by a ribbon-cutting of the new center alongside the Habersham Chamber of Commerce. After the ribbon-cutting, the VFW Post will have cake, drinks and host a $1,000 jackpot Bingo night. All veterans that attend will receive a free hotdog, chips and drink.
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The Grant-Reeves Veterans Center, which includes the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7720, VFW Auxiliary, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 15 and American Legion Post 84, serves veterans in Banks, Habersham, Hall, Rabun, Stephens and White Counties.
Northeast Georgia Veterans Day events
Other Veterans Day events in the Northeast Georgia area include Camp Toccoa’s Veterans Day observance program, beginning at 11 a.m. in the Camp Toccoa pavilion. All veterans, families and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend.
The Rabun County Chamber of Commerce will host a veterans appreciation dinner in the Rabun County Civic Center. Doors open at 4:45 p.m., and veteran admission is free. The admission for the spouses of veterans is $10, and other guests are $25.
Jack P. Nix Elementary School in White County invites community members and veterans to their annual Veterans Day celebration. It will be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the school’s gymnasium. Entrance to the performance will be through the front office doors.
The Northeast Georgia Veterans Society will dedicate a monument to veterans at the Helen Veterans Park located at 726 Brucken Strasse in Helen at 9 a.m. Thursday.
The City of Lula will hold a Veterans Day celebration at the Lula Veterans Park. The celebration, beginning at 10 a.m., will feature the Hall County Sheriff’s Department Color Guard, performances by area singers, a veteran speaker and patriotic songs from Lula Elementary students.
Showing support
VFW Commander Bill Miles says that attending these Veterans Day events is an important way to show veterans that their community appreciates them, but he also says that a very important part of letting veterans know they’re cared for is in the everyday.
“You should show support for your veterans every day,” says Miles. “If you see someone wearing a military shirt or hat, army, marines, whatever the branch, say, ‘hey, thank you for your service,’ because what you don’t realize is that may be the difference of making that person’s day.”
