At 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, Geneva American Legion Post 75 will honor our veterans in a ceremony at State and Third Streets.

Post Commander Dan Clark said a color guard will be at State and Third promptly at 11 a.m. for the customary rifle detail and three-shot salute toward the east, and the 60-second siren.

Geneva Community High School senior Kevin Potts will play Taps at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Well-known Geneva veteran and former City Council member Merritt King, other veterans and city dignitaries will be present.

The 11 a.m. ceremony is the centerpiece of many Veterans Day events and celebrations to honor veterans citywide. Geneva schools are especially active throughout the day. 

Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. The federal legal holiday, observed on the fourth Monday in October during the mid-1970s, reverted to Nov. 11 in 1978.

Geneva Patch and more than 300 Patch sites across the country are honoring our veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces by donating to our partner charity, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The full link is  https://www.fallenheroesfund.org/Donate/Online-Donation-Form.aspx.

This Thursday marks the 14th Annual Veterans Day Ceremony at the Geneva middle schools. Students and teachers have been encouraged to invite the veterans in their lives to this very special ceremony that honors those men and women who have served our country.

Geneva School District 304 will hold its annual Veterans Day program at 7:45 a.m. Thursday at Geneva Middle School North.

The combined GMS North and South choirs will sing America the Beautiful and God Bless America. In addition, the North eighth-grade band will play the hymns of all five military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.  Social Studies Club members will help with bringing in the flags, speaking, and later passing out certificates of appreciation to the veterans. Echoing Taps will be played to remember those veterans who are no longer with us. 

This year's keynote speaker is Captain Van Stone, a Vietnam veteran who was awarded a Silver Star, three Bronze Stars and three Purple Hearts.

A variety of programs and speakers will be visiting Geneva's elementary schools. Students at all levels are encouraged to wear red, white and blue in honor of the day.