Events Planned to Celebrate Veterans Day

America’s fighting men and women will be honored during Veterans Day observances from Ventura to Simi Valley this weekend.

The most elaborate event is scheduled at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura, with astronaut Gordon Cooper set to deliver the keynote address at this ninth annual Massing of the Colors and Service of Remembrance.

The park will be awash in martial sights and sounds with an Avenue of Flags display in addition to more than 30 color guards representing American soldiers from the Revolutionary War to the present. In step with those times, the president himself--Abraham Lincoln, that is--is expected to attend.

There will be a flyover by the Confederate Air Force, and a Phantom Jet flyover has been requested. Also scheduled are a white dove release and live patriotic music, including selections by bagpipers.

There will also be a presentation honoring veterans of the 40th Infantry Division of the National Guard, the local unit that was called to active duty for service in Korea. Memorabilia of the 40th will be on display, and a memorial service honoring those men will be led by the Rev. David Pressey.

Cooper, one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts, was the sixth American in space. His first flight began on May 15, 1963, as the pilot of MA-9, the last Mercury mission. In his Faith 7 capsule, Cooper orbited the Earth 22 times, logging more time in space than the previous five astronauts combined.

Two years later, Cooper was launched as commander of Gemini GT-5 with Pete Conrad as pilot, making Cooper the first man to make an encore orbital flight. The service starts at 10:30 a.m. at the park at 5400 Valentine Road, with Cooper’s presentation beginning about 11:15 a.m. For more information, call 642-1055.

* A celebration sponsored by the Conejo Valley chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars will be held at Creekside Park on Saturday.

Thousand Oaks Mayor Dennis Gillette, a Marine Corps veteran, will be the keynote speaker. The Marine Corps Junior ROTC from Los Angeles’ Crenshaw High School will provide the honor guard and gun salute and will post the colors. The Seniors of Note Band will provide music.

Chapter commander Emmett Nolan, who fought in the Army at Normandy on D-day and at the Battle of the Bulge, will preside over what chapter members say may be the last Veterans Day the dwindling chapter will celebrate. A 10-plane flyover of World War II planes will also be featured.

“The pilots will make the missing man formation,” said former chapter commander John Williams. “When they pass over at 400 feet, it shakes the ground.”

The hourlong event begins at 10 a.m. at the park on Janss Road, behind the Thousand Oaks Library. For more information, call Williams at 987-3401.

* In Oxnard, a celebration hosted by the Veterans Commemorative Committee is planned for the Armed Forces Memorial at Plaza Park on Saturday.

The keynote speakers will be Alfredo Rascon, a Medal of Honor recipient, and Capt. Jim McConnell from Naval Base Ventura County. The Rev. Jasper Butler will offer a veterans perspective.

Vocalist Christine Portillo will provide “A Patriotic Salute in Song,” and the first 200 children will be given small American flags.

A free continental breakfast will be served by the Kiwanis Club and the Salvation Army from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., followed by the commemorative ceremony at 11 a.m. at the park at 5th and C streets. For more information, call 368-9808.

* In Simi Valley, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10049 will host a ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday at Lemon Park at Alamo Street and Tapo Canyon Road. Participants are welcome to a barbecue following the ceremony at VFW headquarters, 4242 E. Los Angeles Ave. For more information, call 583-9722.

Also at 11 a.m., the Simi Valley Disabled American Veterans Chapter No. 55 will commemorate the day at the Veterans Memorial in Rancho Simi Park.

DAV members will wear their chapter’s cap and uniform shirt. Community members who participate in the event are invited to have lunch afterward.

The park is at 1765 Royal Ave., Simi Valley. For more information, call 583-6363.

* In Port Hueneme, VFW Post No. 3935 will have a ceremonial flag-raising at 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a potluck barbecue for members and their guests, at its headquarters at 300 S. Surfside Drive. For more information, call 488-4138.

* In Camarillo, the American Legion will celebrate with a flag ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday at Constitution Park at Carmen Drive and Paseo Camarillo, followed by a luncheon for members and their guests at its headquarters, 7 Nellora St. For more information, call 482-3916.

* In Ojai, American Legion Post No. 482 will display flags along Ojai Avenue and will serve breakfast from 7:30 to 10 a.m. Saturday at its headquarters, 821 E. Ojai Ave. Veterans are served free, others cost $3.50 each. For more information, call 640-0277.

* On Sunday, the Ventura County Concert Band will present a free tribute to veterans and members of the armed forces at 3 p.m. at the Ventura High School auditorium, 2155 E. Main St.

The Ventura Unified School District’s Adult and Continuing Education and Friends of the Ventura County Concert Band are the event sponsors.