Photo: Parade Meg on Unsplash
Veterans Day is Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Prince William County has events starting this weekend. The Northern Virginia Veterans Parade steps off Saturday in Historic Downtown Manassas. There's also a free U.S. Army Band concert at the Hylton Center, Flags for Heroes at the Manassas Museum, a week of programs at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, and a tribute to local veterans at the County Government Center.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Northern Virginia Veterans Parade
The parade steps off at 11 a.m. sharp in Historic Downtown Manassas. The route follows Center Street and passes the reviewing stand at the Harris Pavilion. This year's parade honors Col. Steele McGonegal, U.S. Army (retired), who spent most of his career in command and operational roles with the 29th Infantry Division, supported national emergency response efforts and finished his service as Senior Liaison to the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Grandstands are at City Hall and at West and Center streets, and the reviewing stand is at the Harris Pavilion, where the National Anthem is played and the parade stops while Grand Marshals are honored. Participants should arrive between 9:30 and 10:15 a.m. Quarry Road is closed from Zebedee Street to Prescott Avenue for staging, and participants disperse at the municipal lot between Center and Church streets.
Organizer VetPar, Inc. dedicates the parade to all service members past, present and future and encourages veterans to take part. Weather and emergency updates, along with participation, volunteer and sponsorship information, are at vetpar.org.
Merchant Hall at the Hylton Performing Arts Center. Photo courtesy of the Hylton Performing Arts Center.
Friday, Nov. 6: A Salute to Veterans! at the Hylton Center
The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" performs "A Salute to Veterans!" at 7:30 p.m. in Merchant Hall at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. The concert honors veterans with music and storytelling and is presented with George Mason University's Veterans and the Arts Initiative.
Admission is free and general, with a limit of four tickets per order, and each person attending needs a ticket. Tickets are available online or in person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office.
Details and tickets are on the Hylton Center event page.
Nov. 6 to 14: Flags for Heroes in Manassas
Flags for Heroes, an annual event since 2016, opens with a ceremony on Nov. 6 and runs through Nov. 14 on the Manassas Museum lawn at 9101 Prince William St. People honor a hero by sponsoring an American flag in the display. Bull Run Rotary Club organizes the event, and sponsorships are tax-deductible donations. If you aren't sure whom to honor, Bull Run Rotary can choose a local recipient, who receives the honor and a certificate. Proceeds support the Warrior Retreat at Bull Run in Haymarket, a retreat house for wounded military and their loved ones. Details and flag sponsorships are on the Visit Manassas event page.
The museum in Triangle marks Veterans Day, the Marine Corps' 251st birthday and its own 20th anniversary with a series of events. Here is the schedule:
Family Day, Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The day is built around hands-on activities for kids and parents, including making challenge coins and thank-you notes for veterans, a guided tour of the galleries, face painting and caricatures.
"We, The Marines," Nov. 7 to 11. The museum shows its 38-minute film, which follows Marines from training through deployment and home again, in the Medal of Honor Theater. Tickets are "Set Your Own Price," starting at $2.50 per person.
Place a Flag in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park, Nov. 7 to 11. The museum hands out free American flags at its front desk and in the Medal of Honor Theater while supplies last. Visitors can plant one along the park's trails, at a monument or in memory of someone they love. The park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Marine Corps Birthday Cake-Cutting Ceremonies, Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. The museum is offering free cake to visitors at both ceremonies.
For tickets and updates, see the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation's Veterans Day Weekend page.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Prince William County is hosting its One Community, Many Heroes Veterans Tribute at the County Government Center over Veterans Day. The temporary outdoor display features the names, photographs and branches of service of veterans connected to Prince William County. Prince William Public Libraries are closed on Veterans Day.
Saturday, Nov. 14: Free tickets for veterans at the Hylton Center
The Metropolitan Jazz Orchestra celebrates its 25th anniversary at 7:30 p.m. with "To Swing Through the Sky," a multimedia program on the shared history of jazz and flight. Tickets are $65, $55 and $45. A set number of free tickets are reserved for veterans and servicemembers, up to two each, available in person at the Hylton Center Ticket Office with ID. A grant from the Amazon Prince William County Community Fund helps make the free tickets possible.
The Veterans and the Arts Initiative, which has served 20,000 military-connected people since 2014, also offers workshops that are free to veterans, servicemembers, military family members and military caregivers. The Ritual of Mask Making: Play, Performance, and Self-Permission Workshop is Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. at the Hylton Center.
Full schedules and tickets are at hyltoncenter.org.
More places to visit
Visit Prince William also points to the Freedom Museum in Historic Manassas, which tells local military history through the stories of service members and their families, and to Manassas National Battlefield Park, where visitors can explore the landscapes of the First and Second Battles of Manassas. The National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico covers more than 700 acres and is a place of remembrance for service members, veterans and eligible family members. Check each site's website for current hours before you go.
Sources: Hylton Performing Arts Center press calendar; Prince William Living; Visit Prince William; Visit Manassas; Prince William Public Libraries; Veterans and the Arts Initiative.
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