REGION: Veterans Day events planned for Tuesday

By North County Times | Sunday, November 9, 2008 4:09 PM PST ∞

NORTH COUNTY ---- Several Veterans Day events will be held throughout the region on Tuesday.

Here's an overview of what's going on:

Escondido

-- The Allied Veterans Council and the Military Tribute Organization will hold a Veterans Day celebration at 11 a.m. by the Wall of Courage in Grape Day Park, 321 N. Broadway. A dedication of new names on the wall also will be held. Lunch will follow at the Veterans Memorial Building, 230 Park Ave. Call (760) 746-7931.

-- From 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, the Escondido Public Library will host a children's craft event to make stars for a Veterans Day Wall of Stars on the library bulletin board at 239 S. Kalmia St.

Fallbrook

The community of Fallbrook and VFW Post 1924 co-host the annual Veterans Day Parade and observance starting at 10:30 a.m. downtown. Former Marine Jean LaBlanc of Fallbrook has organized a flyover of two FA-18 jets at 10:45 a.m. The ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the Village Square. The program will include a posting of service flags, presentation of colors, a performance by the Fallbrook Chorale and a guest speaker, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Ken Pipes. A light lunch will be served immediately after the ceremony at VFW Hall, 1175 Old Stage Road.

Visitors are also invited to visit the Art Center at Fallbrook's exhibit "Decades of Conflict," an exhibit of art, military artifacts, personal photos and accounts that tell the personal stories of those who fought in foreign wars and those who stayed behind from 1960 to 2008. Visitors are invited to leave comments. The gallery, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, is at 103 S. Main St., Fallbrook. There's a $5 admission charge. Call (760) 728-1414.

Oceanside

At 10 a.m., the Combined Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of North San Diego County, Tri-City Area, will host its annual Veterans Day Observance at the Oceanside Elks Lodge, 444 Country Club Lane. Organized for the past 20 years by Jim and Jeanne Evans, the celebration usually draws about 350 people. This year's keynote speaker will be a top ROTC student from El Camino High School. ROTC students from both El Camino and Oceanside high schools will present the color guard, and Steve Chappell will give a live musical performance. The lodge will be decorated with military and war memorabilia and photographs owned by local veterans. Alex Kapitanski, 86, known locally as "The Flagman," will present a special display of American flags. All veterans are encouraged to wear their distinctive headgear and medals. After the program, a free light lunch will be served. Call the Lodge at (760) 433-1561 or the Evanses at (760) 727-9027.

Poway

Members of three Poway veterans groups will co-host a Veterans Day observance at 11 a.m. in the Creekside Plaza shopping center on Poway Road. The Fred L. Kent VFW Post 7907, the American Legion and the Fleet Reserve Association are co-sponsoring a program that will feature Col. R. Barry Cronin of Poway. The VFW Post will host a lunch after the ceremony at 12342 Old Pomerado Road. Call (858) 748-7907.

Rancho Bernardo

The annual Veterans Day observance at the Rancho Bernardo Veterans Memorial will take place at 11 a.m. in Webb Park at Avena Place off Bernardo Center Drive. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Garry J. Bonelli will be the keynote speaker, and retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Richard K. Fontaine will be master of ceremonies. The program, organized by the R.B. Veterans Memorial Association (Military Order of the World Wars Gen. J.P. Holland Chapter and VFW Post 7766), will include a Navy color guard and presentation of colors. The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Quintet will provide live music before the ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. Afterward, the public is invited to a no-host lunch at noon at nearby Pearl Chinese Cuisine Restaurant. Lunch is $12. Visitors are asked to bring their own chairs. Call (858) 674-1711.

San Diego

-- The United Veterans Council of San Diego County will host its 22nd annual San Diego Veterans Day Parade at 11 a.m. downtown. This year's parade theme is "The Forgotten War: Korea," and a group of Korean War veterans will march in the parade as honorary grand marshals. The parade will begin at Cedar Street and continue south on Pacific Coast Highway past Navy Pier to G Street. Entries include marching bands, color guards, troops, antique cars, dignitaries and floats. This year's grand marshal is Lt. Col. Jerry Coleman. Visit www.sdvetparade.org.

-- San Diego Veterans For Peace will march in the Veterans Day parade and display their Arlington West Memorial at the Midway Museum on the waterfront at Navy Pier, 910 N. Harbor Drive. Call (760) 207-9139. The Arlington West Memorial is a traveling display presented by San Diego Veterans for Peace that features a Christian cross, Jewish Star of David or Islamic crescent in place for each U.S. service member killed in Iraq.

-- The USS Midway Museum will host the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' fifth annual Veterans Day swearing-in citizenship ceremony at 9 a.m. on board the ship at Navy Pier, 910 N. Harbor Drive. Call (619) 398-8252.

San Marcos

The San Marcos All Veterans Memorial Committee will present its third annual Veterans Day celebration at 10 a.m. at Helen Bougher Memorial Park at Woodland Parkway and Borden Road in San Marcos. The ceremony will be near where the city's veterans memorial and Wall of Remembrance are under construction. Call (760) 580-3434.

Solana Beach

From 11 a.m. to noon, the city of Solana Beach and Solana Beach Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5431 will co-host a Veterans Day ceremony at the La Colonia Community Center, 715 Valley Ave. The program will include music by the Santa Fe Christian School band, a color guard from the Camp Pendleton Young Marines and presentations by Solana Beach city officials, VFW post commander Randy Treadway and other veterans, dignitaries and military officials. Free refreshments will be served after the ceremony. Call (858) 720-2453.

Valley Center

The Valley Center/Pauma School District Music Boosters will present its annual Veterans Day Tribute Concert at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Valley Center High School, 31322 Cole Grade Road. Doors will open at 2:30 p.m. for the performance, which will feature music students from throughout the district. The concert will be led by Christopher Hollyday, high school musical director, and Jeff and Laralee Beck, musical director and choir director at Valley Center Middle School.

The concert will honor those who have served the United States in war and peace. The middle school band will perform a medley of songs from each branch of the armed forces. Patriotic songs also will be performed by the high school marching and jazz bands, the middle school advanced and jazz bands, and choirs from both schools. For the grand finale, the bands and choirs blend for a tribute to U.S. veterans. Free; however, donations will be accepted to support the district's Music Boosters programs. Call (760) 749-2888.

Vista

An Armed Forces Week celebration will take place all week at the Gloria E. McClellan Center, 1400 Vale Terrace Drive, next to Brengle Terrace Park. At 11:45 a.m. Monday, Myrle Ware and Company will perform patriotic songs. Different military branches will be recognized throughout the week. Army veterans will be celebrated Monday, the Air Force on Wednesday, the Marine Corps on Thursday and the Navy and Coast Guard on Friday. Veterans memorabilia will be displayed on Thursday. Veterans are encouraged to bring pictures, memorabilia and uniforms for the display. Call (760) 639-6162.