HYANNIS – The Town of Barnstable will honor local veterans with a series of ceremonies and special events on Wednesday, November 11, including wreath-laying ceremonies, a Veterans Day observance, and an opportunity for combat veterans to share their experiences with the community.
The day’s activities will begin at 9 a.m. with brief wreath-laying ceremonies at the John F. Kennedy Memorial and Korean War Memorial, located at 480 Ocean Street in Hyannis.
At 9:30 a.m., the annual Barnstable Soldiers’ Veterans Day Ceremony will take place at a new location this year, by the flagpole at the Barnstable Adult Community Center, 825 Falmouth Road (Route 28) in Hyannis.
The ceremony will include a welcome, the Pledge of Allegiance, an invocation, and the governor’s Veterans Day message. The program will conclude with the laying of wreaths and a benediction.
Immediately following the ceremony, the public is invited to attend the 9th Annual Veterans Town Hall inside the Barnstable Adult Community Center.
Hosted by the Town of Barnstable and the Cape & Islands Veterans Outreach Center, the event provides combat veterans with an opportunity to share their personal experiences through ten-minute presentations.
Organizers describe the Veterans Town Hall as a solemn, non-political gathering intended to encourage understanding and respectful listening. There will be no question-and-answer session or debate about the merits or justifications of war.
The event is inspired by author Sebastian Junger’s call to return the experience of war to the broader community rather than leaving it solely with those who served.
Barnstable Government Access TV will record the program for viewing at a later date.
A buffet brunch, provided by Hyannis Elks Lodge #1549, will follow the presentations. Those planning to attend the brunch are asked to RSVP to Barbara-Anne Foley at [email protected].
Additional Veterans Day activities will take place at the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, located at 397 Main Street.
At 11 a.m., the museum will host a wreath-laying ceremony at its courtyard monument, followed by a first look at a new temporary exhibit highlighting PT-109, the Navy patrol torpedo boat commanded by John F. Kennedy during World War II.
Museum admission will be free to everyone for the first hour following the ceremony. After that, complimentary admission will continue for veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families.
The museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wreaths placed during the morning ceremony at the Barnstable Adult Community Center will later be transported to the Hyannis Village Green and placed at their designated memorial locations.
All Veterans Day ceremonies and commemorative events are open to the public.
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