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 Hosting Route 2 Overpass Study Walks

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city of North Adams is hosting three community walks this week to solicit input on a study of the 60-year-old Central Artery project. 
 
The focus is on the deteriorating Veterans Memorial Bridge that carries Route 2 and connections between the downtown and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. The site visits will be led by Openbox, a community-centered design partner for the study, in collaboration with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition 
 
The community walks will be held on one evening and two mornings:
 
Wednesday, Nov. 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 14, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
Friday, Nov. 15, from 7:30 to 9 a.m.
 
The walks are open to all and attendees are asked to register here and indicate and accessibility needs.  Attendees should arrive within the first hour and plan to spend between 30 to 45 minutes in total during the 90-minute timeframes.
 
Meet at the UNO Community Center on River Street for a self-guided site walk around the Route 2 overpass and
return to the center for conversations about people's everyday experiences moving to, through, and around Route 2 and North Adams.
 
The city, in conjunction with Mass MoCA, has received a federal Reconnecting Communities grant of $750,000 for a planning study. North Adams was one of only 46 communities out of 450 applications to receive a grant; the $1 billion pilot program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. 
 
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