Over the next two weeks, there will be multiple celebrations and performances in recognition of Veterans Day on Nov. 11. This day, once known as Armistice Day, was originally created to celebrate the end of WWI and honor those who have served in the United States Military Armed Forces. Owensboro Times has put together a guide of dates, times and locations for the various celebrations at local schools and around town for you, your family and your veteran to attend.
Saturday, Nov. 3
The Kentucky Youth Chorale will present “Red, White & Blue Jeans: A Salute to Veterans” as one of several performance fundraisers from 7-11 p.m. at the Hines Center in Philpot.
While the performance is intended as a fundraiser, it is also meant to “promote awareness and appreciation for veterans who can attend the event.” Tickets for the performance are $25 a person, and veterans and active duty military are free with a military ID.
Included in the event are Emcee Brian Jackson, live music and DJ Doc Harris, heavy hors d’ oeuvres, a cash bar, and silent auction. Those that cannot attend the event are encouraged to donate to the Kentucky Youth Chorale to help cover the cost of travel, which is estimated to be close to $2,000 per child.
Monday, Nov. 5
Meadow Lands Elementary School at 3500 Hayden Road, will honor family members of MLES students and staff who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces in a special program at 12:30 p.m. The ceremony will include guest speaker Daviess County Sheriff Keith Cain, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam. The program will also feature a presentation of colors by the Daviess County High School Navy JROTC, musical selection, special messages of appreciation from MLES fifth-grade students, and a video tribute to veterans. Refreshments will be served to all Veterans who attend as honored guests.
The Daviess County High School Performing Arts Academy will present “A Patriotic Salute” at 6 p.m. in the DCHS auditorium, located at 4255 New Hartford Road. The DCHS Choir, Band, Drama and Orchestra departments welcome the entire community at this free event, with a special invitation extended to all Veterans.
The evening will include performances of many patriotic favorites, including “Stars and Stripes Forever March,” “My Old Kentucky Home” and the reading of “A Letter to a Soldier.” The Band and Choir will perform “My America,” and the Orchestra and Drama departments will present “The Gettysburg Address.”
A highlight of the concert will be “The Armed Forces Salute,” honoring every branch of the U.S. military. Active service and Veterans are encouraged to wear hats and/or uniforms and will be invited to stand when the song representing their branches of service are played.
Wednesday, Nov. 7
Kentucky Wesleyan College will honor veterans at 12:12 p.m. in Tapscott Chapel at the Barnard-Jones Administration Building. The 30-minute service will include recognition of veterans, music by the Kentucky Wesleyan Singers and a message from Rev. W. Glenn Sowards ’53.
Rev. Sowards is a retired United Methodist minister who served numerous Kentucky congregations. He was district superintendent of the Hopkinsville and Owensboro districts and interim district superintendent of the Madisonville District. He is a 2018 inductee into the Kentucky Wesleyan College Hall of Fame and a trustee emeritus of the Kentucky Wesleyan Board of Trustees. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity by the College in 1975 and recognized with the Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2006. Rev. Sowards was minister of visitation at Settle Memorial United Methodist Church for 12 years before his retirement. He and his wife, Charlotte (Morrow) Sowards ’56, reside in Hopkinsville. Area veterans and the public are invited to attend the service.
Sorgho Elementary School, located at 5390 Kentucky 56, will host Cathy Mullins in a special Veterans Day program. Veterans are invited to enjoy muffins and coffee at 8:30 a.m., followed by the program at 9 a.m.
Mullins is a Blue and Gold Star Mother whose son and son-in-law are on active duty in the U.S. Army. Her middle son, SPC Brandon Scott Mullins, was killed in Afghanistan in August 2011. The Apollo High School JROTC and Drill Team will perform; AHS senior Emma O’Bryan will be the instrumentalist. Sorgho students will also take part in this program through singing, speaking and playing instruments.
Heritage Park High School, located at 3361 Buckland Square, will welcome former Owensboro Mayor and U.S. Navy veteran Ron Payne as guest speaker at the school’s annual Salute to Veterans at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7. The program will take place in the Cliff Hagan Boys and Girls Club gymnasium, 3415 Buckland Square.
Thursday, Nov. 8
Cravens Elementary School, located at 2741 Cravens Ave., will be hosting a breakfast for veterans on at 7:15 a.m. with a Veteran’s Day program to follow at 8:30 a.m. in the gym.
Highland Elementary School, located at 2909 Leitchfield Road, will host a Veterans Day program at 8:30 a.m. with guest speaker Nick Hetman.
Burns Middle School, located at 4610 Goetz Drive, is honored to host special guests Josh Bratcher and Cathy Mullins at 9 a.m. Bratcher will share his experiences as a U.S. military veteran and Mrs. Mullins will share personal stories about her son, Spec. Brandon Scott Mullins, who was killed while in service to our country in Afghanistan in August 2011. The program will include the presentation of colors by the Apollo JROTC. BMS students will share essays and inspirational poems.
Southern Oaks Elementary School, located at 7525 U.S. 431, will host a reception for veterans at 1 p.m., followed by a patriotic assembly in the gymnasium and a parade around the school building.
Friday, Nov. 9
Deer Park Elementary School, located at 4959 New Hartford Road, will host a complimentary breakfast for veterans at 7 a.m. Cost for non-veteran guests is $2.50. A special program is planned at 7:45 a.m., featuring fourth-grade students performing musical selections. Guest speaker is Lt. Col. Scott Taylor, a veteran and member of the U.S. National Guard who is currently serving as Daviess County Public Schools student services coordinator.
Sutton Elementary School, located at 2060 Lewis Lane, is having a Veteran’s breakfast beginning at 7:15 in the cafeteria.
East View Elementary School, located at 6104 Kentucky 405, invites veterans for coffee and refreshments at 7:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 9, followed by a special performance at 8 a.m. featuring second- and third-grade students. All veterans will receive a gift as a token of appreciation for their service to our country.
Daviess County High School, located at, 4255 New Hartford Road, will host a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the school cafeteria. All veterans are invited to attend as special guests. A program will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium, featuring the DCHS Choir singing the National Anthem and guest speaker Nick Hetman on “What Does It Mean to Be a Veteran.” The program will include with an invitation for all veterans in attendance to stand by their flag of service.
In addition, the DCHS choir, band, drama and orchestra departments are hosting “A Patriotic Salute” at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. ***See above. The free concert is open to the public with a special invitation extended to all veterans.
Apollo High School, located at, 2280 Tamarack Road, invites all veterans to a special breakfast at 7:45 a.m. in the Auxiliary Gym, followed by a program at 8:30 a.m. AHS teacher, head football coach and Army veteran, Phillip Hawkins will deliver an inspirational message.
Burns Elementary School, located at 4514 Goetz Drive, will celebrate Veterans Day with a schoolwide program that begins with a parade through the hallways at 8 a.m., followed by an assembly in the gymnasium. Guest speaker is Nelson Morphew, father of two BES Bobcats, who is currently serving in the U.S. Army Reserve as a chief warrant officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot. The program will also include special music and recognition of all Veterans in attendance.
Country Heights Elementary School, located at 4961 Kentucky 54, will host a Veterans Day assembly at 8:30 a.m. Student leaders will facilitate the program, which will feature the CHES choir and the presentation of colors by the Boy Scouts. Tommy Wieder and Lt. Col. Derek Schneider are guest speakers.
Wieder served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and he is the great-grandfather of two children who attend Country Heights. Wieder will share remarks and memories with students and those in attendance. He and four of his brothers were drafted during WWII. Of the 10 boys in his family, five served in active military duty, two served in civilian status (building tanks) and three were considered to have “aged out.” While serving, Wieder was the assistant to the adjutant general of the Pacific. Schneider served as an armor officer in the U.S. Army in West Germany and as a tank platoon leader in Operation Desert Storm. He served as a member of the United Nations Peacekeepers, earning his cavalry spurs and the nickname “The Fox.” He earned two Bronze Stars and worked on behalf of the Iraqi people while serving as a civil affairs officer, rebuilding 32 schools, eight water treatment plants and two bridges, among other projects; and was named “Hero of the Week” for providing 20,000 students with school supplies.
Tamarack Elementary School, located at 1733 Tamarack Road, will honor TES students’ relatives who are Veterans of the U.S. armed forces during a special ceremony at 1 p.m. The program will feature the Apollo High School JROTC cadets and guest speakers Jeremy Camron and Cathy Mullins. Camron served as a U.S. Navy hospital corpsman from 1993-97 and Mullins is president of the local chapter of Gold Star Mothers. The TES Singing Stars will perform and artwork created by Tamarack students will be on display.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Kentucky Remembers 5K, 1-Mile Walk, & Fun Run for Little Warriors at the Shelton Memorial at Smothers Park.
7:00 a.m. Same Day Registration, located inside RiverPark Center
8:00 a.m. 5K
8:10 a.m. 1-Mile Walk
9:00 a.m. FUN RUN for Little Warriors
9:10 a.m. Awards
9:15 a.m. Breakfast at VFW Post 696
9:15 a.m. Silent Auction Opens
Online Registration, Race Route and Information available here.
Annual Veterans Day Parade Downtown Owensboro
Please come and join this annual parade from 2 – 3 p.m. in downtown Owensboro and along Veterans Boulevard to honor all of our Nation’s veterans. We salute our veterans and thank each for serving our nation, we are deeply proud and sincerely grateful.
Sunday, Nov 11.
Everyone is invited to attend our first ever Kentucky Remembers Military Ball presented by Independence Bank and co-sponsored by the Owensboro Daviess County Veterans Committee. Kirk Kirkpatrick is our Master of Ceremonies at this black-tie affair at the RiverPark Center from 4 – 8 p.m. Veterans and military personnel from all service branches are encouraged to wear their dress uniforms as permitted. Chief Master Sgt. Matthew M. Caruso, senior enlisted leader of U.S. Transportation Command will bring our keynote address along with Patrick O’Leary, a U.S. Marine Veteran and board member of the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation. Social hour, silent auction, and photos by Dream Copy begin at 4:00 p.m. with program remarks and dinner provided by Moonlite BBQ beginning at 5:00 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
Monday, Nov. 12
Audubon Elementary School, located at 300 Worthington Road, invites all Veterans to attend a free breakfast at 6:50 a.m., followed by a patriotic program at 7:30 a.m. featuring the AES choir.
West Louisville Elementary School, located at 8400 Kentucky 56, will host a special breakfast at 7 a.m., followed by a program at 8 a.m. WLES students will perform a variety of patriotic songs, including “One Nation” and a military medley, and students will share their writings about Veterans Day and patriotism. Guest speaker is Melody Wallace, a veteran of the U.S. Navy. She is a former English teacher who taught at Sorgho Elementary School and Daviess County Middle School and is currently an editor for The Owensboro Times.
Daviess County Middle School, located at 1415 E. Fourth St., will host Lt. Cmdr. Stephen White in a special program at 8:30 a.m. White joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school in 1972, serving on numerous ships during four deployments to the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. He also lived in Japan and Iceland while in the Navy. Since his retirement from active duty, he has served as a Navy JROTC instructor for 23 years, including his current role as a senior naval science instructor at DCHS for the past eight years. The DCHS Navy JROTC will present the colors during this program.
Owensboro Middle School South Campus, located at 2631 South Griffith Avenue, will have an assembly at 9 a.m. that will include dance, choir and various presentations.
College View Middle School, located at 5061 New Hartford Road, will host Cathy Mullins and the Apollo High School JROTC at 2 p.m. Mullins is the mother of Spec. Brandon Mullins, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
Tuesday, Nov 13
Hospice of Western Kentucky invites all veterans, and one guest, to a complimentary luncheon at the Heartford House at noon. A celebration and discussion panel will follow at 12:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required by calling 270-926-7565 or registering online here.
Wednesday, Nov. 14
Veterans are invited to join Mount St. Joe in a day of prayer in tribute to you from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Mount Saint Joseph Conference and Retreat Center (12 miles west of Owensboro, Ky., on Hwy. 56). Veterans gave up so much for us, now we hope to give to you. The retreat director is Rev. Pat Dolan, chaplain and veteran of Louisville. There is no cost and lunch will be provided. Please register by contacting Lisa Sills at 270-229-0206 or [email protected] or register online at ursulinesmsj.org.
Friday, Nov. 16
Newton Parrish is having an assembly at 9:30 a.m. The OHS Color Guard will present the colors. Dylan McCollam, 6th Grader at OMS South, will perform the National Anthem. The Newton Parrish Bucket Drummers will perform and Vietnam Veteran Sheriff Keith Cain will be the guest speaker.
Whitesville Elementary School, located at, 9656 Kentucky 54, invites all Veterans to attend lunch with their children/grandchildren. The appreciation luncheon will include patriotic musical selections performed by WES students.
Veterans are also invited to tour “The Whitesville Honor Museum,” which features WES students performing as “wax museum” figures; and student presentation boards with photographs of local community veterans. The Whitesville Historical Society will have a special display sharing history related to branches of the U.S. military.
