Friday morning the city of Santa Clarita is coming together to honor some of the nation’s heroes and their families.
The annual Veterans Day Ceremony will honor veterans, currently-serving military and their families during the ceremony at 11 a.m. at Veterans Historical Plaza.
“It’s honestly a celebration of those who have served,” said Mike Fleming, Santa Clarita’s arts and events supervisor. “It’s upbeat, but at the same time it’s also poignant.”
This year’s ceremony will feature entertainment as well as speakers.
“Celena McMahon is going to be singing two songs including the ‘National Anthem’ and ‘God Bless America,’” Fleming said. “The Men of Harmony are going to be singing ‘America the Beautiful’ and the songs of the branches of military service.”
A special reading by Robert Heinisch will be held as a sign of respect for those who are missing in action (MIA) or prisoners of war (POW) and the audience will hear from veteran Command Sergeant Major Edward O. Littleton.
Changing of the flags will be handled by the Knights of Columbus Santa Clarita Assembly and Vietnam Veterans of America.
City officials expect the turnout for the event to be about 400 to 500 people.
“There’s quite a large population, relatively speaking, of veterans and their families here in this valley so they have a great appreciation for this event,” Fleming said. “We especially have quite a few WWII vets that are still with us so I am always excited to see them. They usually sit in the front row and we save space for them.”
Fleming said the event is heartwarming and encourages those in the community to attend.
“If people have the time, please come out and pay your respects and share the day with our veterans,” he said.
[email protected]
661-287-5575
On Twitter as @_ChristinaCox_
