Veterans Day Ceremonies and Holiday Hours

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U.S. Veterans Affairs
An image of the 353rd Infantry in France taken two minutes before the armistice ending World War I went into effect.

Veterans Day falls on Monday, Nov. 11, and will be observed as a state and federal holiday.

The federal holiday is to commemorate the service of the nation's military veterans in ensuring peace.

It was first known as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. In recognition of the efforts of World War II veterans, President Eisenhower in 1954 signed legislation creating Veterans Day with the goal of honoring all American veterans.

The Veterans Day National Committee choses a commemorative poster each year (as seen above) from submitted artwork.

Closed on Monday, Nov. 11:
Some federal and local offices
Some public schools
BRTA buses routes are not running, offices closed; service resumes on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
Public libraries

Open:
Most retail outlets, groceries
Restaurants and bars, by choice
Convenience stores
 

Veterans Day Parades, Ceremonies and Other Celebrations

Pittsfield: The annual Veterans Day ceremony will begin with a parade that steps off from Allen Street on Monday, Nov. 11, and concludes at Veterans Memorial Park on South Street.
 
Lineup will take place 9:30-9:45 a.m. on Fenn, Pearl and Allen streets, departing from City Hall at 10 a.m. 
 
A ceremony will follow at the memorial, with opening remarks from Mayor Peter Marchetti. The master of ceremonies will be Woody Vaspra from American Legion Post 68. The officer of the day is Tyrone Belanger of the Vietnam Veterans of America, James E Callahan, Chapter 65. The event will also recognize Joseph DiFilipo as the Berkshire Veterans Coalition's Veteran of the Year.
 
Pittsfield Community Television will televise the parade and ceremony on CityLink 1303, PCTV Select available at pittsfieldtv.org and its Facebook page. 
 
 
North Adams: The Veterans Day parade steps off from American Legion Post 125 on American Legion Drive at 10:40 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11, and marches to the Veterans Memorial on Eagle Street. Participants are asked to arrive at the Legion by 10 a.m.; doughnuts and coffee will be available beginning at 9:30. All veterans and veterans groups are welcome to march.

 


Tags: holiday event,   holiday hours,   

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North Adams' Child Care of the Berkshires Gets New Boiler

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

State Rep. John Barrett III, Mayor Jennifer Macksey and child-care President Amy Hall pose with Mariyana Wiggins-Rigers and Meadow Gancarz, who are attending the preschool program.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Child Care of the Berkshires has been undergoing several initiatives to update its facility in the Sarah T. Haskins School.
 
The most recent project is the replacement of its boiler, which was made possible thanks to $50,000 of earmarked funds from the state budget that state Rep. John Barrett III secured. 
 
Barrett visited the child-care agency on Friday to see the dark cyan boiler, highlighting his contribution with a plaque saying, "Representative John Barrett Honorary Boiler — Keeping Kids Warm for Years to Come."
 
"We are really dedicated to giving children of all income levels a really high-quality experience, and a lot of that is space. It makes a difference. It truly does," said Amy Hall, Child Care of the Berkshires president and CEO. 
 
"If a classroom is warm, then kids are going to be comfortable, then they're going to be able to learn. So this boiler helped us keep things a lot better, like the heat is much more even in the building, so the kids are warm, and they can just play and learn and be kids."
 
Barrett has had a close connection to the building since early on in his political career, starting in 1984, when elected mayor of North Adams. 
 
When he first came into office, the building was not in very good shape, he said. 
 
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