Salute! and G.I. Joe’s Living History Museum are turning the November 11 Veterans Day into Veterans Week with events running from Friday, November 3, through Sunday, November 12.

Festivities to honor and celebrate veterans will begin with the Tar River Community Band concert scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Friday, November 3, at the Joseph Rountree American Legion 43, located at 300 North McLewean Street in Kinston.

The Tar River Community Band started making music in 1987. In the years since its creation, the band has welcomed musicians from all walks of life, including members of the region’s businesses, teaching, and medical communities, along with college students and retirees. Since its inception, the band has served as an outlet for musicians looking to share their talents with the community.

The band plays a wide variety of music, including marches, show tunes, movie scores, jazz, swing, and classical - representing all difficulty levels.

At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 4, Salute! will hold a brick dedication at the Walk of Honor site at 101 South Herritage Street. The Walk of Honor is a permanent commemorative walkway paved with bricks engraved with the names of men and women honored for serving our great country.

The Walk of Honor parallels the picturesque Neuse River as it winds through the beautifully landscaped Tiffany West, Pearson Park, and the Nature Center. Sitting areas and the memorials afford quiet places for reflection and tribute.

From Tuesday, November 7, through Saturday, November 11, the Community Council of the Arts at 400 North Queen Street will feature artist displays titled “Veterans Art Exhibit,” a special exhibit showcasing local veterans’ artistic talents. Each piece of artwork stands as a testament to their experiences, strength, and creativity. The exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 11.

On Wednesday, November 8, the Georgia K. Battle Friendship Club will host a Veteran Breakfast at the Georgia K. Battle Center at 401 Lincoln Street. The center is offering outside dining and take-out meals.

On the evening of November 8, the Kinston-Lenoir Public Library will host a showing of “To Heal a Nation,” a movie that tells how the Vietnam Wall came about. The movie will begin at 7 p.m. The film tells the story of Jan Scruggs, an injured veteran who fought for years to build a memorial to those who fought in Vietnam.

Torment was acute for many veterans after the Vietnam War ended. The U.S. government deployed more than 2.1 million men and women throughout the conflict. Vietnam veterans who returned home were often scorned and humiliated as purveyors of death, torture, and dupes of a discredited policy.

On Friday, November 10, student veterans and faculty at Lenoir Community College will host a program to honor veterans in the auditorium of the Administration Building. The program begins at 11 a.m.

Saturday, November 11 – actual Veterans Day – will offer two events. At 11 a.m., Salute! will hold its annual Veterans Day Parade at the North Carolina State Veterans Home at 2150 Hull Road. North Carolina State Veterans Home in Kinston is a skilled nursing facility that houses American veterans and provides skilled therapy for long- and short-term care needs.

For information on how to sign up to be part of the parade, call Tiffany Koonce Crawford at 470-622-0304.

On Saturday evening, Salute! will again be hosting the Salute! Tribute Show. This year’s show will begin at the Kinston Performing Arts Center on the Kinston High School Campus at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, November 12, the Vietnam Veterans of America 892 will host a Veterans Cookout at the Neuseway Nature Center beginning at 1 p.m. The local chapter of the VVA meets at 2854 Lemuel Dawson Road.

All these events are free to the public. For more information, please get in touch with Carol Cantu at 252-560-0590.Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.