Locals will have the opportunity to honor area veterans with a celebratory ceremony in downtown Turlock and tour the new Veteran Center under construction in Modesto.

The City of Turlock is hosting its annual Veterans’ Day celebration on Friday at Central Park in Turlock. The 10:40 a.m. ceremony will feature the presentation of colors, guest speakers, acknowledgment of each branch of military service, and music by Turlock High School Band.

This year’s ceremony will highlight the 50 year anniversary of the Vietnam Conflict with special recognition for the veterans who served during that period. The ceremony will be held around the historic cannon display, which was rededicated last Veterans’ Day and located at Central Park in honor of the community’s veterans. Among the guest speakers will be Mayor Gary Soiseth and Stanislaus County District 2 Supervisor Vito Chiesa.

“This Veterans’ Day ceremony gives Turlock a special opportunity to pay tribute to all those men and women who have left their homes and loved ones to serve our country,” said Soiseth. “This year, in remembrance of the 50-year anniversary of the Vietnam Conflict, we will specifically honor the Vietnam veterans who served unselfishly and gave so much — even their lives — in defense of our community and our country.”

Later on Friday the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors welcomes the veterans, their families and the citizens of Stanislaus County to attend the Stanislaus Veterans Center Celebration. The celebration and the hard hat tour will be at 3:30 p.m. at 3500 Coffee Road.

The creation of the Stanislaus Veterans Center is a public-private partnership between Stanislaus County, the City of Modesto, the Veterans Advisory Commission and the Veterans Foundation of Stanislaus County, along with their private partner Stone Brothers Management, Inc. The Center will be a one-stop shop for our veterans and their families.  A number of organizations will be relocating their existing services to this new, approximately 37,500 square feet facility. The new facility will become the home of the:

Veterans Foundation of Stanislaus County and the Veterans Center HallArea Agency on Aging/Veterans Services Community Services Agency Adult Protect ServicesIn-Home Supportive Services Eligibility  MOVE, a transportation system for eligible veterans and seniorsOther veteran-related non-profit services