Veterans Day observances in DuPage County
Aurora
Ÿ A Veterans Day parade will step off at 10:15 a.m. Friday from Benton Street and Broadway Avenue. Parade parking will be available at the Stolp Avenue parking deck. The parade will be followed with a military rifle salute at 11 a.m. in front of the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place. Illinois Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Hess, a graduate of Aurora Central Catholic High School, will serve as the keynote speaker at the ceremony. Info: (630) 256-4636.
Ÿ Fox Valley Park District will host a Veterans Day luncheon from noon to 2:30 p.m. Friday at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora. General Motors will hold a raffle to award a one-week vehicle loan rental. The event also will feature speakers from Honor Flight Chicago. The event is free for veterans, $7 for residents and $10 for nonresidents.
Ÿ The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy will commemorate Veterans Day with a speech from 1993 alum and U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ryan Keeney. The event is from 10:55 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday at 1500 Sullivan Road.
Bensenville
A breakfast buffet to honor veterans is set for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday at White Pines Banquet Hall, 500 W. Jefferson. The hot buffet is preceded by the presentation of the Colors by Bensenville/Wood Dale Boy Scout Troop 47. The guest speaker is Sgt. Paul Casazza, a Marine Corps veteran who is active in the Toys for Tots program. Donations of Slim Jims or beef jerky to send in care packages overseas welcome. Free for veterans, their spouse/widow, and children; others $5. Advance registration required: (630) 766-7015.
Bloomingdale
Members of VFW Post 7539 pass out American flags and collect donations on the streets starting at 8 a.m. Friday. A flag ceremony is at 11 a.m. at the Bloomingdale Public Library gazebo, 101 Fairfield Way. In early afternoon in the downtown, members of the VFW support the efforts of Fifth Third Bank to collect donations for Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides scholarships and assistance to spouses and children of soldiers who have been killed or disabled. VFW members also visit two elementary schools in the afternoon. Info: www.vfw7539.org.
DuPage County
The DuPage County Historical Museum and the 8th IL Cavalry Reenactors will host a special Veterans Day ceremony at 2 p.m. Sunday at Wheaton Cemetery, 1209 S. Warrenville Road, Wheaton. The event will honor the fallen heroes of the Civil War. A wreath will be laid at the grave of Marcellus Jones, a member of the 8th Illinois Cavalry. One hundred and ninety eight men from DuPage County joined the 8th Illinois Cavalry and fought in several significant battles including Mechanicsville, the Peninsula Campaign, Brandy Station, Antietam, Fredericksburg and Gettysburg.
Glen Ellyn
College of DuPage has a Veterans Day Celebration starting with a flag-raising and music at 8 a.m. Friday at the Homeland Security Education Center on its Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd. Other activities include a read-in from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a hot dog lunch, Color Guard presentation and open house at the new Veterans Lounge at 2 p.m., and movies, games and refreshments at 5 p.m. Info: (630) 942-2444.
Glendale Heights
A Veterans Day ceremony will be held at Veterans Memorial Park, 220 Civic Center Plaza in Glendale Heights, at 11 a.m. Friday to honor all military past and present. Village offices will be closed on Veterans Day. Info: (630) 909-5303.
Itasca
Itasca VFW Post 5167 will host a short Veterans Day celebration at 11 a.m. Friday in Usher Park, Bloomingdale and Irving Park roads, Itasca. And at 11 a.m. Saturday, the post will hold a second ceremony at Usher Park with a reception following at the Itasca Park District. For details, visit itasca.com.
Lisle
Lisle VFW Post 5696 holds a Veterans Day ceremony at 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium of Lisle Junior High School, 5207 Center Ave. Info: (630) 271-9806.
Lombard
The village will honor Veterans Day with a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday at Volunteer Plaza at the southwest corner of Main Street and St. Charles Road. During the ceremony, Lombard VFW Post 5815 and American Legion Post 391 will remember veterans of their posts who have recently died. Info: (630) 620-3083.
Naperville
Naperville will observe Veterans Day with a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday at Veterans Park, 303 E. Gartner Road. The event will include a rifle salute, taps and music from the Naperville Municipal Band. Several veterans from the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 will attend a 7 a.m. breakfast at the Naperville Unit District 203 Administration Center, 203 Hillside Drive, before attending flag-raising ceremonies at district schools and convening at Veterans Park.
Ÿ St. Margaret Mary Church, 1450 Green Trails Drive, holds a memorial service with the military ministry at 7 p.m. Thursday. The memorial will honor all veterans with a special salute to those who served in World War II. The public is welcome to attend.
Warrenville
VFW Post 8081 holds a memorial ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday at the Veterans Memorial on Stafford Place outside city hall. Info: (630) 393-9705.
West Chicago
The community Veterans Day service is at 10:30 a.m. Friday at American Legion Post 300, 123 Main St. Info: (630) 231-2112.
Wheaton
Cantigny Park and the First Division Museum will host a solemn tribute to veterans starting at dusk, around 6 p.m. Friday at Cantigny, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. The ceremony includes about 2,200 luminarias placed on Cantigny Parade Field and the sidewalks around the museum. Each candle represents six 1st Infantry Division soldiers killed in action from World War I to present. Admission is free and open to all. Info: (630) 260-8227.
Ÿ Wheaton’s Rolling Thunder Battalion holds a Veterans Day Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 10, at the Sports and Recreation Complex Plaza of Wheaton College, 501 College Ave., Wheaton. Info: (630) 752-5015.
Wood Dale
The City of Wood Dale will hold a breakfast for veterans and their families from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Salt Creek Golf Club, 701 W. Thorndale Ave. A public ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park, 269 W. Irving Park Road will follow the breakfast. Info: (630) 766-4900.