Music, parade set to honor veterans
It seems there are an unprecedented number of Veterans Day-related events planned locally this year. I guess the fact that we are currently at war and the fact that the commemorative holiday happens to fall on a Sunday are combining to make this the case.
Mount Prospect will hold its annual mini-parade and ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Veterans Memorial Band Shell in Lions Park, 411 S. Maple St.
Veterans and others will march from the Lions Park recreation center, around the building to the band shell where a short ceremony will be held. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
GI diaries from World War II: Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, which includes a number of Mount Prospect residents, will perform its opening concert of the season at Maine West High School, 1755 S. Wolf Road in Des Plaines.
The theme of the Veterans Day concert will be "Government Issue: From the GI Diaries of World War II." It will feature a work for orchestra, chorus and narrator by American composer Michael Karasis.
The Park Ridge Chorale, directed by Edward Zelnis, will appear with the orchestra, which is directed by Paul Vermel. The special guests for the afternoon will be Clifton Truman Daniel and Wesley Truman Daniel, the grandson and great-grandson of former President Harry S Truman, who will act as narrators.
Tickets are available at the door for $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for students.
Tales from the front: Finally, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Mount Prospect Public Library and the Mount Prospect Historical Society will team up to present a Veterans Day program intended to honor the courage and sacrifices of all who have served in the United States armed forces in all wars.
They will host a panel of veterans from Mount Prospect's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1337. Each panel member will discuss their personal experiences while serving their country and share why they volunteered to defend their country with their lives.
Panel members will be David Johnson, who served in Europe in World War II; Howard Richardson, who served in the Pacific in World War II; Bill Starr, who served in Vietnam, Bosnia and Kosovo; George B. Lampere, who served in Vietnam; and John "Dutch" DeGroot, who served in Vietnam.
To register for this program, phone (847) 253-5675 or log onto mppl.org/events.
Indoor garage sale: The Mt. Prospect Park District will host an indoor garage sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at RecPlex, 420 W. Dempster St.
There will be two full floors of bargains, treasures and great buys for garage sale lovers whose outdoor season is coming to an end for another year.
Phone (847) 640-1000 for more information.