Veterans Day Celebration Scheduled for Nov. 11

On Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m., join the City of Tyler, the Mayor’s Veteran and Community Roundtable, East Texas Veterans Alliance and First Baptist Church in honoring our nation's heroes at the Veterans Day celebration at First Baptist Church.

The celebration will begin with a prayer service, hosted by First Baptist Church, located at 301 W. Ferguson St., followed by a traditional military ceremony commencing at noon. Veterans Day is a parking meter holiday. All metered parking in Downtown Tyler and the Fair Plaza Garage is free on Friday, Nov. 11.

“Tyler is a very Veteran-friendly community and we are thrilled to recognize veterans of all ages along with their families,” said Veterans Roundtable chairman Jim Snow, U.S. Army retired.

There will be a special art exhibit entitled “Glassy and Glossy” at Gallery Main Street located at 110 W. Erwin from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To complete the celebration, later that evening, there will be a USO Dinner and Dance to be held at the Armed Forces Reserve Center located at 13592 Hwy. 31 W. in Tyler. Due to limited seating, RSVP will be accepted no later than Nov. 7 at Eventbrite.  Veterans and guests who would like to attend can go visit this site, or call (903) 920-1466 and leave a message. Dress is business attire.  Dinner and refreshments will be provided.

Smith County is home to nearly 18,000 veterans as well as a Super Armory and the Texas Veterans Home that opened in November 2011. The economic impact of Veterans to the Smith County economy is estimated to be $60.8 million annually in revenue.

The Mayor’s Veteran and Community Roundtable was established in May 2011 to develop and implement a Community Blueprint for supporting and enhancing Veterans services in Tyler. The focus of the Roundtable is on employment, education, housing, medical care, transportation, financial, legal and mental health.  For more information, please go to http://etvalliance.org or contact Jim Snow at jksnow5@aol.com.