Community Notebook: Triangle Marks Veterans Day with Weekend of Events

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, November 09, 2011

The Historic Triangle will be recognizing the service of military veterans and service members this weekend for Veterans Day. Commemorative events include the dedication of a new bell tower in New Town, a parade, free passes to Colonial Williamsburg and a program featuring veterans’ letters in Yorktown. Read on for detailed information on these events and more.

Virginia Veterans Tribute Planned for Weekend

The Williamsburg community will pay tribute to veterans with a special extended Veteran’s Day weekend, including the dedication of the Veteran’s Tribute Bell Tower in New Town.

The weekend kicks off with the bell casting ceremony at 6 p.m. Thursday. The bell will be broken from its mold on Friday morning at 8 a.m. and dedicated at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, the Army’s Old Guard’s Fife and Drum Corps and Coast Guard’s Silent Drill Team will perform a special performance at 8:45 a.m., followed by the Veteran’s Tribute Parade in the streets of New Town. Vintage aircraft will also fly over the area.

New Town shops are hosting a Taste of New Town for Veterans and a music tribute after the parade, and the evening will finish with fireworks by Pyrotechnico. Find more information about the weekend’s festivities here.

Colonial Williamsburg Salutes Military Service

Colonial Williamsburg will honor military service during its Veterans Day weekend, starting Thursday.

On Veterans Day, a military march will be held at 4:30 p.m., starting at the Capitol. All veterans of America’s armed forces are invited to participate in a march along Duke of Gloucester Street. Groups begin forming at 4:15 p.m. A ceremony follows at the Courthouse on Market Square. Veterans unable to walk the distance can join the parade near the Magazine.

CW also offers special free admission tickets to active duty military, guard, reservists, retirees, veterans and their dependents from Friday through Sunday.

The “Honoring Service to America” tickets provide admission to CW exhibition sites and museums, in addition to special programs. It also includes free parking at the Visitor Center and complimentary use of Colonial Williamsburg shuttle buses.

Service members need not be present to pick up the free tickets; immediate family members can retrieve tickets with appropriate identification. Military veterans who separated before retirement can bring a copy of their honorable discharge paperwork, DD Form 214, as identification of service. The weekend tickets are only available at the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center and on-site ticket locations including the Lumber House or ticket window in Merchants Square. For more information, click here.

Free Admission to National Parks for Veterans Day Weekend

All National Park Service sites, including the Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield units of Colonial National Historical Park, will offer free admission for all visitors from Nov. 11-13. The free entrance is in honor of all servicemen and women in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Several special programs will take place over the weekend. Nanticoke descendant Daniel Abbott will demonstrate and discuss toolmaking, domestic skills and native flora and fauna as part of American Indian Heritage Month. The program will be held at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Special tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday will present a history of the Powhatan Indians.

On Sunday, Lamb’s Artillery and the British Royal Artillery will demonstrate the role of artillery at the Yorktown Battlefield. Demonstrations will take place at 11:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. near the Visitor Center.

Local Closings for Veterans Day

The City of Williamsburg’s offices will be closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day.

The Quarterpath Recreation Center will be closed until 4:30 p.m., when it will reopen for scheduled activities. Waller Mill Park will be open for its regular operating hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Veterans Day Program at Providence Classical School

Providence Classical School staff and students honor local veterans with their annual program featuring music, recitations and remarks by keynote speaker Carolyn Petrina, who is retired from the U.S. Navy. The event is from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m.

Veterans Day Ceremony Focuses on Correspondence

York County Parks and Recreation will honor veterans at their event, “Letters from War.” The free event is from noon to 1 p.m. Friday at York Hall.

Williamsburg Christian Academy Recognizes Veterans

Williamsburg Christian Academy will host a Veterans Day Assembly at 9:15 a.m. Nov. 16 in the School Gymnasium.

WCA is located at 101 Schoolhouse Lane in Williamsburg.

Poet to Speak at WM Thursday

Poet Kevin Young will present his work at the College of William and Mary’s Muscarelle Museum of Art at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Young’s appearance, part of the 2011-12 Patrick Hayes Writers Series, is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will follow his presentation.

Young, 41, has had his work featured on National Public Radio, in The New Yorker, Kenyon Review and anthologies, including the “Best American Poetry” 2008, 2009 and 2010. He is the author of six books and the editor of five others. He is currently the Atticus Haygood Professor of Creative Writing and English and Curator of Literary Collections and the Raymond Danowski Poetry Library at Emory University.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not Food Drive Ends Thursday

Ripley’s Believe It or Not will finish its Gimme Five Food Drive on Thursday.

Guests who bring a donation of five non-perishable food items can get a ticket to Ripley’s Believe It or Not for $5 (the regular adult ticket price is $15.99). All the food collected will go to FISH, a volunteer agency that provides emergency help to the Greater Williamsburg Area.

CASA Seeks Volunteers

Colonial Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are volunteers who are trained to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in court and in the community.

CASA’s cases, for which an advocate is assigned, are appointed by a judge. The advocate conducts thorough research on the background of the case, reviews documents, interviews interested parties and submits a written report for the judge. The report includes recommendations on what would be in the best interest of the child.

A CASA volunteer must be 25 years of age, complete a thorough background check and attend 40 hours of training. To learn more, contact Shawn Nason at (757) 229-3306.

Muscarelle Extends Kiowa Art Show

The Muscarelle Museum of Art has extended the run of its exhibit on Kiowa art to Jan. 22, 2012.

“In Memory Still: A Kiowa Legacy in Art” traces the enduring artistic tradition of American Indian artists, known as the Kiowa Five, from their roots in Plains culture to their influence on contemporary Native artwork.

The museum has also extended its weekend hours to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

WM Honored for Bone Marrow Donations

The College of William and Mary received the National Marrow Donor Program’s Collegiate Award on Saturday. The NMDP is the global leader in providing marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants to patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other diseases.

The college, the only higher education institution honored, was recognized for having raised more than $36,000 and recruiting 600 new potential donors in 2011.

WM students, faculty and staff have led an annual bone marrow donor registry drive on campus for the past 20 years, registering thousands of people as potential bone marrow donors. Several of those people have been matched to patients in need.