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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Community Hero: Noelle Howland

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Noelle Howland is committed to keeping alive the late Pittsfield ACO Eleanor Sonsini's mission of helping animals ... albeit farther north in North Adams.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — No Paws Left Behind Executive Director Noelle Howland has been selected as the November Community Hero of the Month. 
 
The Community Hero of the Month series honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact in their community. The series sponsor, Haddad Auto, has extended this initiative for one more month.
 
Howland breathed new life into the mission of the former Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, which closed in August 2023. 
 
The shelter in Pittsfield operated under the mission established by Eleanor Sonsini, a local animal rights activist and longtime animal control officer in Pittsfield, to be a no-kill shelter committed to finding surrendered and abandoned pets new forever homes. 
 
Howland's love for animals, dedication to their well-being, and expertise in animal behavior and training and shelter management brought this mission to new heights at No Paws Left Behind, a new shelter for dogs located at 69 Hodges Cross Road. 
 
"I want people to understand that I know it's hard to surrender. So, my biggest thing is [making sure] people know that, of course, we're not judging you. We're here to help you," Howland said. 
 
When Sonsini announced its closing, Howland, who was the shelter's manager, worked to save it, launching fundraising initiatives. However, the previous board decided to close the shelter down and agreed to let Howland open her own shelter using their mission. 
 
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