The following is a list of Veterans Day ceremonies locally:
Ceremony in Town of Niagara
On Monday, Nov. 12, the Town of Niagara Lions and Lioness Clubs will honor the area's veterans with a special ceremony at the newly constructed memorial in Veterans Memorial Community Park, 7000 Lockport Road, Town of Niagara.
The ceremony will commence at 11 a.m. Town Supervisor Lee Wallace will welcome everyone with opening remarks. The color guard from Boy Scout Troop 841 will conduct a flag ceremony. Town resident Nick Cofield will perform the star spangled banner and taps with his trumpet. There will also be wreath presentations by the Lions, Lioness, and Girls Scout Troop 70165. Pastor Ron Maines of the Forestview Church of God will offer opening and closing prayers. The guest speaker is retired United States Army Col. Arnie Soeder. Soeder was commissioned in 1968 and spent five years on active duty as well as numerous years in the National Guard.
All veterans attending the ceremony will be presented an American flag lapel pin and Old Glory Flag from the Girl Scouts. The Girl Scouts will also sing God Bless America. The Lions will be collecting American flags that are in disrepair for proper disposal. Following the ceremony the Lioness will be serving warm beverages and pastry at the Calvin K. Richards Senior Center located in the park. Everyone is invited to join us in honoring the local veterans. For further information, contact Chairperson Lion Angelo Onevelo at 628-0244.
NCCC ceremony
Niagara County Community College will host a Veterans Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9 on the Sanborn campus. The ceremony will be held at the Veterans Memorial Park, 3111 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn. The event is free and open to the public.
The annual ceremony will include opening remarks by NCCC Interim President William J. Murabito. The keynote speaker for this year's ceremony will be NCCC professor James Mezhir, professor of criminal justice and division chairperson of the humanities and social science division. Mezhir retired from the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Reserve after 26 years as a command sergeant major. He was brigade command sergeant major for the 98th Division U.S. Army Reserve.
Eddie Lewis, an Army veteran, who is majoring in personal training at NCCC, will speak on behalf of veteran students. He is currently a sergeant in the Army Reserve.
Stephanie Chandler, a veteran majoring in liberal arts humanities and social sciences will serve as master of ceremonies. Members of the Niagara Falls Air Base Honor Guard will also participate in the ceremony.
Refreshments will be served immediately after the ceremony in the Notar Administration Building lobby on the Sanborn campus.
About NCCC Veterans Services
Military Advance Education and Transition Magazine has awarded Niagara County Community College the designation of Top Colleges for veterans in the 2018 rankings. The annual rankings factor in the results of comprehensive school-by-school survey of veteran and military student offerings and rates of academic achievement. For more information on the NCCC Veterans Services office please visit our website: http://niagaracc.suny.edu/veterans/.