Veterans Day tradition burns on

The novel coronavirus pandemic will not put a damper on a Veterans Day tradition in Perry Village.

Perry Amvets Post 1971, located at 4128 Main St., will hold its annual Veterans Day candle-lighting ceremony on Nov. 11.

The event, which begins at 7:30 p.m., provides recognition for veterans as well as active-duty members of the armed forces.

“We were not going to do it this year because of COVID-19, but have changed our mind,” said Ruth Frazier, the post’s Ladies Auxiliary Americanism officer.

During the indoor ceremony,

Amvets Post 1971 leaders and program organizers will ensure that proper social distancing is maintained and all other regulations are followed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Everyone in attendance will honor veterans who are present, along with men and women now serving in the military, and veterans who are deceased. Candles will be lit along with the reciting of names of military persons from a list that Frazier compiles.

Frazier said people who want to provide names are not required to attend the ceremony.

“You are welcome to come to the post and enjoy the service and light your candle, or you can send me your person’s name, branch of service, and status and we will announce and light your candle for you,” she said.

A single candle will be lit for every name that appears on Frazier’s list. Names of multiple people to be remembered are allowed to be submitted.

Frazier has been accepting names on Facebook through a post on the Perry Ohio Community Page. Those who are not involved with Facebook also can provide names to Frazier by calling her at 440-259-8106.

AMVETS Post 1971 began holding Veterans Day candle-lighting ceremony about 35 years ago, when four local high school students joined the military through its delayed entry program.

A least one of those students later was deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, which lasted from August 1990 through February 1991.

“It started as a way to keep track of the boys and girls from here who were serving in the military,” Frazier said, in a News-Herald story published in 2015.

“And it’s just grown from there. It’s very well received in the community.”