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South Valley Riverton Journal

Honoring All Those Who’ve Served

Nov 06, 2014 06:50AM ● By Shawna Meyer
By Shawna Meyer

To help Riverton residents honor veterans in and around their community, Riverton City is holding its annual Veterans Day Program on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sandra N. Lloyd Community Center, 12830 South Redwood Road.

This free event is a staple in Riverton, and it has been happening for over 12 years.

“It’s to honor the veterans of course—that’s what Veterans Day is all about,” Community Events Coordinator Ann Farr said. “I think it’s an awesome event. It’s a good opportunity for people to come out and thank the veterans for what they do for us.”

The American Legion Post 140 with Denny Neilsen as their commander will perform the opening and closing flag ceremonies. This group from Riverton is composed of a handful of local senior veterans, and Farr says that they are happy to meet and shake hands with anyone in attendance.

The Riverton Jazz Band is also scheduled to perform at this year’s event. Its performance will include jazz music, patriotic songs and other popular music from the 1950s.

During the event, there will also be a display of military artifacts. People can come and see uniforms, guns, ammunition and other types of military paraphernalia from many different eras.

“Lane Schonfeld is a local collector of military artifacts, and he brings part of his collection each year and displays it,” Farr said.

Mayor Bill Applegarth will be hosting the program, so he will introduce guests. The program is meant to celebrate not only veterans who have served in the military, but also members of the military who are currently taking time away from their lives to serve their country.

“We need to show respect for the people who are willing to put their lives in danger for us to keep our freedoms, so I think it’s very important to honor our veterans,” Farr said.