Area programs honoring local veterans

TODAY Texas Middle School will have a Veterans Day celebration at 8 a.m. at Sixth Grade Center, 2015 Kennedy Lane, Texarkana, Texas.

Morriss Elementary School will have a Veterans Day celebration at 9 a.m. at 4826 University Park, Texarkana, Texas.

Highland Park Elementary School will have a Veterans Day celebration at 9:15 a.m. at 401 W. 25th St., Texarkana, Texas.

Waggoner Creek Elementary School will have a Veterans Day celebration at 1:30 p.m. at 6335 Gibson Lane, Texarkana, Texas.

Westlawn Elementary School will have a Veterans Day celebration at 1:45 p.m. at 410 Westlawn Drive, Texarkana, Texas.

Kindred Hospice will perform veteran-pinning ceremonies at 2 p.m. at LinRock Health & Rehab Center and at 2:30 p.m. at Bailey Creek Nursing & Rehab Center. LinRock’s address is 1100 E. 36th

St., Texarkana, Ark., and Bailey Creek’s address is 1621 E. 42nd St., Texarkana, Ark. Texarkana, Ark., Mayor Ruth Penney-Bell will be in attendance.

North Heights Junior High and Central Baptist Church will host a Veterans Day Program 10 a.m. at 2117 E. 35th St., Texarkana, Ark. There will be performances by the NHJH Choir, Band and the NHJH/ Arkansas High School Orchestra. The program will also feature a message from a veteran and readings from NHJH’s drama classes.

A reception will be held after the performance in the Central Baptist Church gym. All veterans and their families are invited to attend.

Texarkana Gazette’s Salute to Veterans reception will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church. Tributes, music and food will be provided.

SATURDAY The Texarkana Area Veterans Council will hold its annual Veterans Day Parade at

11 a.m. in downtown Texarkana.

The parade will start at East Broad and Hazel streets on the Arkansas side. Area organizations, school district marching bands, local churches and businesses are invited to participate.

The theme for this year’s parade is “Saluting the Women in the Military Through the Years.” For more information, call 870-773-8279.

Recreation areas and other venues in the National Forests and Grassland will be free to the public through Sunday in honor of Veterans Day. The Forest Service will waive entrance fees at the following locations: Angelina National

Forest— Caney Creek and Townsend. Sabine National Forest—

Haley’s Ferry, Ragtown, East Hamilton, Indian Mounds, Lakeview and Willow Oak. Davy Crockett National

Forest— Ratcliff Lake and Piney Creek Horse Trail. Sam Houston National

Forest— Double Lake, Cagle Boat Ramp and Scott’s Ridge Boat Ramp.

Caddo and Lyndon B. Johnson National

Grasslands— Coffee Mill Lake, Bois d’Arc Trail, West Lake Crockett, Black Creek Lake, Valley View and TADRA.

For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/texas/.

Second Saturday Trade Days

will have a veterans celebration from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Front and Olive streets in downtown Texarkana.

There will be a parade with patriotic floats at 11 a.m. and the Arkansas High School Air Force ROTC will present the colors, play the National Anthem and perform a flag folding ceremony at 12:30 p.m.

The first 150 attendees will receive a flag.

Nancy Martin will be the featured artist.

For vendor information, call 870-772-5026.

Four States Fusion Chorus will host the Freedom

Defenders Veterans Day event at 7 p.m. in the Cabe Center at First United Methodist Church.

The event will feature performances by the chorus and Voice of the Dragon Choir, historical trivia and military display tables.

General admission is $10. Admission is free for children younger than 5 and veterans with military ID or a photo of themselves in uniform.

A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to Hero’s Pantry, a local organization that assists veterans.

The church is at 400 E. Sixth St., Texarkana, Ark.

TUESDAY, NOV. 14 Texarkana College Department of Music and the Texarkana Regional Chorale

will present American Sounds: Tribute to Veterans at 6:30

p.m. The event will be at Texarkana College’s Truman Arnold Center, 2500 N. Robison Road, Texarkana, Texas.

There will be various patriotic selections, the Armed Forces Salute and Dr. George W. English on bagpipes, with Marc-André Bougie conducting and Mary Scott Goode as the accompanist.

This concert is free, and donations will be accepted.