Commemorations of Veterans Day are planned on the North Olympic Peninsula today.
Here are events scheduled in Clallam County:
Drive-through
PORT ANGELES — The Fairview Grange will host Drive-through Appreciation from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. The grange invites veterans to drive through its parking lot, at 161 Lake Farm Road, and receive a small token of appreciation for their military service.
Jack Grennan post
SEQUIM — The American Legion’s Jack Grennan Post 62 and the Michael Trebert chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will co-host a Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday. The ceremony will be at the legion hall, 107 E. Prairie St.
The short program includes ringing a replica of the Liberty Bell, comments by Clallam County Commissioner Mark Ozias, an observance of two minutes of silence and will close with a rendition of Taps. The public is invited to the free ceremony.
Balloon rides
SEQUIM — Captain-Crystal Stout will offer free tethered balloon rides to veterans from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday.
The flights will take place in the Dream Catcher, with an ADA-compliant basket, tethered at Sinclair Place, 680 W. Prairie St. Seats are first-come, first-served, and rides depend on safe weather conditions. For more information, visit www.dreamcatcher balloon.org.
Native veterans
BLYN — The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe will host a Veterans Day ceremony to honor native veterans at 11 a.m. Thursday.
The service is planned for the Jamestown Veterans Memorial, located east of the tribe’s administration building at 1033 Old Blyn Highway. Attendees should RSVP to Albert Fletcher, 360-434-4056, so he can plan for sufficient facilities in case of rain.
Forks ceremonies
FORKS — Post 106 will perform two ceremonies on Veterans Day.
At 9 a.m., American Legion Post 106 will present a new American flag and POW flag to the City of Forks in honor of all veterans and their families.
At 11 a.m., the American Legion will conduct a ceremony at the Gold Star Families Memorial, Forks Transit Center, in honor of all veterans, living and deceased, and their families who have also sacrificed.
Unknown Soldier tomb
This year, Veterans Day also marks the 100th anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1921, in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia to represent the deceased U.S. service members whose remains were never identified.
The marble tomb contained the body of an unidentified U.S. soldier who had died in France during WWI.
Today, 4,723 unknown soldiers who died in battles dating to the Civil War are buried, along with more than 400,000 other war veterans.
