News - Local News

POSTED: Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009

Whatcom County honors veterans with various events

Events to honor Whatcom County veterans begin this week and go through next week. The official Veterans Day holiday is Wednesday, Nov. 11. Here are some of the events:

FRIDAY, NOV. 6

7:30 p.m., Christ the King theater, 4173 Meridian St., Bellingham. The Mt. Baker Toppers will perform during the fifth annual Musical Salute to Veterans. Special guests include the Harmony Northwest Chorus, Saltwater Octet, Pakawalups and The New Originals. Tickets are $15. The event is free for members, in uniform, of the U.S. Armed Forces, Reserves and National Guard. Tickets are available at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased at Christ the King, Al's Honda, Harley-Davidson of Bellingham, Silver Beach Grocery, Veterans of Foreign War Post 1585 and Thai House Restaurant in Bellingham. They also can be purchased at North Washington Implement Co. in Lynden and at The Hair Shop in Blaine.

TUESDAY, NOV. 10

8 a.m., Ferndale High School, 5830 Golden Eagle Drive. Ferndale High School will host a Veterans Day assembly. Community members and veterans are welcome to attend. Veterans also are invited to attend a continental breakfast in the auditorium to meet and talk with students and to share their stories from 8 to 10 a.m. There will be two assemblies; one at 10:05 a.m. and the other 11:08 a.m. Both assemblies will last about 45 minutes.

9:30 a.m., Bellingham Christian School, 1600 E. Sunset Drive. Bellingham Christian School will host its 11th annual Veterans Day Assembly and is inviting all veterans and their families to attend and be honored.

10 a.m., Geneva Elementary School Gym, 1401 Geneva St., in Bellingham. Elementary school children will honor local veterans with songs, pictures, photos and a history of Veterans Day. The Bellingham High School Drum Line will perform. Local veterans are invited to attend.

10:30 a.m., Western Washington University's Viking Union Multipurpose Room. WWU will host a Veterans Day ceremony followed by a reception. Featured speakers include graduate student Jana Brost, coordinator of WWU's Veteran Safe Zone project, and WWU President Bruce Shepard. The Safe Zone project is a campus program aimed at providing support, respect and honor for student veterans. Parking enforcement will be suspended from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for those attending the event.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 11

Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, 1069 E. Sunset Drive, Bellingham. Applebee's will honor U.S. veterans and active duty military personnel with a free meal. All guests with proof of current or former U.S. military service will enjoy a free entrée from a selection of six signature favorites. This special offer will be available during the lunch and dinner hours for dine-in guests.

8 a.m., Heritage Flight Museum, 4119 Mitchell Way, Bellingham. The day's events will include a remote broadcast from 8 to 11 a.m. on local radio station KGMI-AM 790. Listeners are encouraged to phone in from 8 to 9 a.m. to share their stories about family members or friends who have served in the armed forces. From noon to 2 p.m., the museum's education volunteer will have supplies available for families and kids to make cards for Bellingham native Dustin Engelhardt, who is serving his third tour in Iraq with the U.S. Army. Museum aircraft and pilots will provide military fly-bys of local Veterans Day events, weather permitting.

9 a.m., Sunnyland Memorial Park, at the corner of King and East Maplewood streets, Bellingham. Bellingham's Veterans for Peace Chapter 111 is sponsoring Arlington Northwest, a traveling exhibit honoring fallen troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. This year's display of more than 5,000 markers, modeled after Arlington National Cemetery, will be arrayed over the five acres of Sunnyland Memorial Park. A brief ceremony at 11:11 a.m. will include words of inspiration by a local pastor, a bugle salute of taps and a release of doves.

10:45 a.m., Bayview Cemetery, 1420 Woburn St., Bellingham. The city of Bellingham will host a public service in honor of all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Members of Boy Scouts Troop 4019, Mount Baker Council, will lead the service. The public is invited to attend as well as participate in a volunteer effort to help locate, map and clean historical memorials for soldiers from the Civil War and beyond. The volunteer effort will take place before the service from 8:45 to 10:30 a.m. Taps will be played at 11:11 a.m. For more information contact Bayview Cemetery at 676-6972.

10:45 a.m., Bellingham City Hall, 210 Lottie St. Bellingham's Veterans Day ceremonies will begin with a concert by the Bellingham High School Alumni Band, followed by a march from the Bellingham Police Department to City Hall. Ceremonies will begin at 11 a.m. with featured speaker Steve Mura, Whatcom County Superior Court judge. All Whatcom County residents, especially veterans, are welcome to attend.

7 p.m., Village Books, 1200 11th St., Bellingham. Village Books will host a special Veterans Day event and slide show. Bellingham veteran Pete Davidson will read from his book "Bulldozing the Way: New Guinea to Japan," which describes the challenges of enlisted men from stateside training to service in New Guinea, the Philippines, Okinawa and Japan.

THURSDAY, NOV. 12

6 p.m., Lynden Community Center, 401 Grover St. The Lions Club of Lynden is inviting all veterans to attend a dinner and honorary program. Dinner for veterans will be paid for by the Lions Club. For all other guests, the dinner is $6. Reservations are required. Call Marie at 354-4703 by Thursday, Nov. 5, to book a reservation. This year's program speaker is retired Capt. Kenn Crandall, who spent 26 years in the Navy and flew more than 160 combat missions in an F-4 Phantom off the USS Midway during the Vietnam War.

FRIDAY, NOV. 13

6 p.m., Lakeway Inn, 714 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham. Soldiers' Angels presents "A Night for Our Heroes" with dinner, entertainment and a live auction. Tickets are $40. For more information, tickets or sponsorship opportunities call Kathy Bergman at 224-5915. Proceeds go to Soldiers' Angels, a nonprofit organization, that supports veterans and those who are currently in the armed forces.

COMING SUNDAY

War veterans and their families share their stories and photos in a Veterans Day edition of Whatcom Life.