The town along with American Legion Post 86 will host a full morning of events on Saturday in honor of Veterans Day. The events will center on the Veterans Monument and the lawn behind Cornelius Town Hall.
Starting at 9:30 a.m, there will be activities for children and their families, including making thank-you cards, cookie decorating and patriotic arts and crafts.
In case of bad weather, the activities move inside. Either way, they wrap up at 10:45 am in time for the traditional Veterans Day Program at the Cornelius Veterans Monument at 11 am. American Legion Post 86 Commander Gene McKinney will lead the ceremony.
In addition to recognizing all branches of service, the ceremony includes music from the Hough High School Concert Choir and country music artist Rockie Lynne.
The 21-gun salute is a tradition and quite memorable. Veterans Day marks the formal end of World War I, at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. This year, with Nov. 11 on a Sunday, many observances are being held on Saturday. Banks and government offices will be closed on Monday.
Pictured are the hands of the late Rev. John “Didi” Wayland of Bethel Presbyterian Church. A World War II veteran who went into Normandy on D-Day, he attended the Veterans Day ceremony at Town Hall in 2015.
