Activities for Emporia’s All Veterans Tribute time period are aplenty over the next few days.
On Friday, two Emporia soldiers of Hispanic descent, Army soldiers Jesse Garcia and Robert Ramirez, will be honored for their service at Saint Catherine’s Catholic Church. Spokesman Jesse Solis says both soldiers will get a military sendoff.
Garcia had been killed in action while serving in the Philippines. Ramirez was killed in action while serving in Europe. The original plan was for the ceremony to take place in late October, but rain postponed activities to 1 pm Friday.
The Emporia Arts Council has its Veterans Exhibition Artist Reception from 5-6 pm Friday at the Emporia Arts Center, with awards announced at 5:30 pm. That will be followed by a performance of The Timeless Quartet at the Arts Center Davis Theatre.
Freedom Fest follows on Saturday, and the activity list by itself is noteworthy with the Norwegian Ruck March just after 8 am, the 20-mile Lyon County State Bank Freedom Ride at 9, Freedom Run 5K and Spur Challenge both launching at 9:30 am, a Kids Mini Mission Dash at 10:30 am and the Disc Golf Open starting at 11 — all starting at the All Veterans Memorial in Soden’s Grove. Longtime organizer and spokesman Steve Harmon says interest is at an all-time level.
Freedom Fest’s late activity list may overlap the start of the Quilts of Gratitude ceremony, which starts at 1 pm at the Fairgrounds Anderson Building. Organizer Kathy Hamman says there are several things that stand out about the ceremony. Foremost to her is the reaction from veterans getting a quilt.
Saturday night features country musician Coffey Anderson, the singer of “Mr Red White and Blue,” performing at the Emporia Granada Theatre as part of the Emporia Arts Council’s Entertainment Series. Tickets are $30, but military veterans and active-duty service personnel can attend for free with a military ID.
Speaking of music, the Emporia Municipal Band has its second annual “United in Gratitude” concert at the Granada Theatre. The concert begins at 3 pm and is free to attend.
Veterans Day is Tuesday, featuring the annual parade at 9:30 am and the memorial service at 11 am. KVOE will live-stream the parade on the KVOE.com YouTube channel, with the memorial service aired on-air and on YouTube.
