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Mid-Ohio Valley slates Veterans Day celebrations

File Photo U.S. Army veterans Junior Ray Linch, left, and Rick Raab place a wreath at the Gold Star Memorial at Spencer’s Landing in Vienna during the 2017 Veterans Day Service in Vienna.

PARKERSBURG — A number of parades and ceremonies are planned in honor of Veterans Day throughout the Mid-Ohio Valley.

One local event is planned for the holiday on Sunday, while the parades and programs will be held on the Monday immediately after the holiday.

* The Veterans Museum of the Mid-Ohio Valley in Parkersburg will hold its annual Veterans Day open house from noon-4 p.m. Sunday 1829 Seventh St. in Parkersburg.

The event is open to the public. As part of the open house, the museum will be unveiling the newest addition to its exhibits, the WWII Video Center. The center is a video collection of stories told by local WWII veterans about their personal experiences during the war.

* In Parkersburg, the Parkersburg Veterans Day program will begin with a parade from Parkersburg High School to City Park at 10 a.m. Monday. Units will begin lining up at PHS at 9:30 a.m., organizers said.

The parade will include area high school marching bands and representatives from various local veterans organizations, among others. The route will follow Washington Avenue from the high school to the Veterans Memorial Plaza in City Park. This year’s parade marshal will be Frank Shephard.

The ceremony in City Park will begin at 11 a.m. Monday and will feature speeches from local dignitaries and other visitors. The guest speaker will be Brig. Gen. Dr. Randy Kochepsperger. The ceremony will also include a wreath laying, a rifle salute and “Taps.” Open houses will be held at participating veterans organizations in Parkersburg following the ceremony, which will be open to everyone.

* After participating in the services in Parkersburg and Vienna, the Carlin’s Battery D Civil War re-enactors will hold their annual Veterans Day open house at 2 p.m. Monday at Fort Boreman Hill Historic Park cabin. The cannon will be fired, there will be Civil War history displays and other activities.

* In Vienna, a Veterans Day Service will be noon Monday at the Gold Star Memorial at Spencer’s Landing at 28th Street and River Road. Speakers will include Glen Kelly, Greg Smith and city officials including Mayor Randy Rapp.

* In Marietta, the annual Marietta Veterans Day Parade will be 10 a.m. Monday in downtown Marietta.

The parade will form at 9 a.m. at Fourth and Butler streets.

It will travel Fourth Street to Putnam Street, then on to Front Street and the Veterans Memorial in Muskingum Park, where it will conclude with a program. It is open to all veterans.

A dinner will follow the parade and program at the Marietta Masonic Lodge on Front Street in downtown Marietta.

* In Ripley, a Military Honor March is planned in appreciation of Veterans during the 10 a.m. parade on Monday in Ripley.

Hundreds of veterans from the past through current soldiers are recognized during the annual Military Honor March in Ripley. Large photo posters of veterans are carried by soldiers, family members and students from Ripley High and Ripley Middle schools. Contact Ripley City Hall (304-372-3482) for information on acquiring a poster.

Marching bands from Ravenswood and Ripley high schools are participating. The route will be from Ripley High along South Church Street (Route 21) to West Main Street (Route 33). It concludes along North Maple Street adjacent to the Jackson County Courthouse in downtown Ripley.

A ceremony near the Veterans Memorial on the courthouse lawn begins at 11 a.m. Monday. The guest speaker will be Patrick Simons of 13 News, a veteran of the Iraq War and a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserves who serves as an instructor at the Command and General Staff Officer College.

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