Events
♦The local VFW Post will host its annual Veterans Day program at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday at Memorial Park.

The program will take place by the WWI monument and will conclude with a gun salute at 11 a.m.

The event is open to the public.

♦The Northeast Indiana Marine Family Support Group will hold its first “Hiking for Heroes; His Pack, His Boots, My Hero!” The 1-mile hike will be around New Haven High School's track while participants are wearing boots and a backpack filled with care package items that will be donated to area deployed Marines. Registration is at 2 p.m. with opening ceremonies at 2:30 p.m. Participants are raising pledges. For more information, send e-mail to NIMFSG@gmail. com.

East Allen County Schools is hosting various Veterans Day events within its buildings. The following is a breakdown of those activities:

♦8:45 a.m. Tuesday: Harlan Elementary will honor those who have served in the Armed Services. The Huey 803/Warrior 11 Helicopter will be landing prior to the program and open for touring afterwards. This program is sponsored by the sixth grade class. The event will take place in the gym.

♦10:30-11 a.m. Wednesday: Carroll Freshman Center, located at the high school, will have a Veterans Day program. The highlight will be honoring friends and family of the school's staff and students who have served in the armed forces.

♦7 p.m. Wednesday: New Haven High School Choral Department will host a Veterans Day Remembrance at Grace Gathering Church, 3157 Minnich Road, New Haven. All fallen heroes as well as living veterans will be honored. Special patriotic musical selections, selected short readings, and poetry, will allow participants to reflect upon the importance of this day.

♦9:30 a.m. Thursday: Highland Terrace Elementary's fifth-graders will host a Veterans Day Celebration (in front of the school by the flag). All veterans and those on active duty will be honored.

Students and staff throughout Fort Wayne Community Schools will honor veterans this month in celebration of Veterans Day with the following programs:

♦9:05 a.m. Monday: Irwin Elementary School, 3501 S. Anthony Blvd., will have two members of the Air National Guard conduct a flag ceremony.

♦8:05 a.m. Tuesday: Jefferson Middle School, 5303 Wheelock Road, will have a flag-raising ceremony. The eighth-grade band will perform “America the Beautiful” and other selections. All veterans are invited to attend.

♦10 a.m. Tuesday: Holland Elementary School, 7000 Red Haw Drive. Students in third through fifth grades will honor veterans with readings and patriotic music. U.S. Rep. Mark Souder (R-3rd) is scheduled to be the guest speaker. Students have invited parents or other family members who are veterans or are on active duty. Veterans who are currently employed by FWCS have been invited to attend and will be recognized.

♦1:15 p.m. Tuesday: Ward Education Center, 3501 Warsaw St., will have the four branches of the armed services formally present the colors and deliver speeches to the students. The program will also include remembering those who are Missing in Action. Community members have been invited to attend the program.

♦Thursday: Letters and boxes for Operation Care Packages will be ready to ship from students at Blackhawk Middle School, 7200 E. State Blvd. Students will also submit reports to their teachers based on interviews they did with veterans who served during a time of conflict.

♦7 a.m. Friday: Lane Middle School, 4901 Vance Ave., will host a Veterans Day breakfast to honor all who have served combat or non-combat. Invitations were extended to any parent, guardian, grandparent, aunt, uncle, neighbor or friend of any Lane Middle School student who served in the armed forces. Each guest must be accompanied by a student.

♦9:30-11 a.m. Nov. 19: Northrop High School, 7001 Coldwater Road, will have a veterans assembly. Veterans from the community are invited to a reception to follow. The guest speaker will be a local veteran, who served in Iraq and is a 2003 Northrop graduate. The assembly will include recognition of the armed forces, posting and presentation of the colors by Concordia JROTC Color Guard.

Closings
Here are area offices, services and schools that will be closed on Veterans Day on Wednesday:


Offices: ♦Allen County Courthouse

♦Allen County's various license branches

♦City-County Building

♦Workforce Development

♦Check with your financial institution for hours.

♦Fort Wayne Community Schools

♦Bishop Dwenger High School

♦City Utilities

♦U.S. Postal Service branches; there will be no mail delivery.