LOWER BUCKS COUNTY, PA —Veterans Day, a federal holiday, will be celebrated on Friday, Nov. 11th in Lower Bucks County. The day honors American veterans of all wars for their service to the nation.
While some groups and towns have already held Veterans Day ceremonies in the past week, others have events scheduled to mark the special day.
Here are the following events:
- The YMCA of Bucks and Hunterdon will hold a Veterans Day gathering and a brief ceremony at its Warminster branch at 12 p.m. and at its Fairless Hills branch at 12 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
- the Northampton Township Board of Supervisors and the Veterans Advisory
Commission is holding a special Veterans Day weekend ceremony at the Northampton Township Library on Upper Holland Road in Richboro on Saturday, Nov. 12. There will be an unveiling and dedication of a new flag display to the 92 residents honored under the Patriots Flag Program during the Global War on Terror from 2003 to 2021. The display with 92 flags, formerly in the Township’s Board of Supervisors meeting room, is being relocated to a new home with a new display. Master of Ceremonies will be Veterans Commission member David Reese and keynote speaker will be former Supervisor Pete Palestina who had a major role in the implementation of the flag program. A Color Guard will be provided by the Marine Corps League’s Patriot Detachment. National Anthem to be sung by Lisa Garner and invocation given by Chaplain Doug Fulford. Many Township and State local officials will be on hand and remarks will be provided by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. The unveiling of the new display will be performed by representatives of the two families of our Patriots killed in action, Army PFC Robert Dembowski Jr and Army Master Sgt. Kenneth Elwell. - Bucks County Register of Wills Linda Bobrin, Esquire, will hold another Vows and Veterans free wedding for veterans and first-responders on Thursday, Nov. 10. The event will take place in the courtyard of the Bucks County Courthouse Administrative Building in Doylestown from 12 to 2 p.m. Former Under Secretary of the Army, Patrick J. Murphy, will be the officiant. A marriage renewal ceremony for veteran and first-responder couples will also take place. Vows and Veterans is part of the Bucks County Clerk of Orphans’ Court’s successful Weddings for Heroes program. Participating local vendors include: Bird of Paradise Florist, Courtney Kanig Photography, Doylestown Wedding Studio/Cortineo Creative, Fleurish Floral Design by Bucks-Mont Party Rental, HollyHedge Estate, James Best Videography, Mervin Toussaint Jazz Band, and The Novel Baker.
Restaurants and other businesses are continuing to show their appreciation for veterans and active military members.
- Mission BBQ: The chain, which has a location on Street Road in Warminster, is offering a free sandwich to veterans who have served. See the website for details.
- Applebee’s: All active military, veterans, reserves and national guard received a full-size entrée from a special Nov. 11 menu for dine-in only. They will also receive a $5 bounce-back card to redeem for dine-in, to go, or delivery within three weeks. See details on their website.
- target: Military personnel and veterans get 10% off two separate purchases when you verify your military status from Oct 30 and redeemable through Nov 12 using the Target Circle offer. See the details on the Target website HERE.
- Walgreens: Veterans, military and their families get 20% off eligible regular-price items in stores from 11/11/22 thru 11/14/22 with myWalgreens membership and proof of service. See the details on their website.
Some events have already taken place in Lower Bucks County in the past week:
- the Neshaminy School District held its first in-school Veterans Day ceremony in three years at Maple Point Middle School on Thursday. The event was canceled due to the pandemic two years ago and was an outdoor car parade last year.
- Lower Makefield Township held its 16th annual Veterans Parade and Commemorative Ceremony on Saturday. The parade took place at the intersection of Edgewood and Long Acre Road and proceeded toward the Veterans Square Monument. A brief ceremony honoring veterans was held at Veterans Square Park.
- Pennsbury School District —Veterans Day assemblies and celebrations took place throughout the school district Thursday. Reaghan C., a 6th-grade student at Charles Boehm Middle School, and her grandmother got a special surprise this morning at the school’s annual Veterans Day breakfast. Check out the video.
- American Legion Mail 436 in Penndel canceled a planned dedication of a new walkway for the Penndel Veterans Memorial last Saturday because engraved bricks that families ordered for the walkway in recognition or memory of veterans who served in the armed forces or other loved ones are not completed, the Bucks County Courier News reports.
- Jefferson Health at Home by BAYADAa joint venture between Jefferson Health and BAYADA Home Health Care, celebrated local military veteran volunteers at an event Wednesday in Warminster.
Most local government offices will be closed as well for the holiday:
- Warminster Township offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day Friday. The Warminster Free Library will be open. There is no change to the trash/recycling schedule
- Bensalem Township —The township’s municipal building will be closed Friday. The school district’s schools and offices will be closed as well.
- PennDOT —All The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation driver license and photo centers will be closed Friday in observance of Veterans Day.
Originally called Armistice Day, Veterans Day was created at the end of World War I to recognize those who fought in “the war to end all wars,” according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Its origin is tied to the armistice, a temporary end of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany signed in France on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
It became Veterans Day in 1954, shortly after the end of the Korean War and less than a decade after World War II, after various veterans’ service organizations urged Congress to encompass veterans of all wars in their honor.