How To Honor Military Personnel, What’s Open, Closed: Veterans Day In Sarasota County

SARASOTA, FL — The post office and most banks will be closed in the Sarasota area on Thursday in observance of Veterans Day, a federal holiday that honors veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

The following will be closed or adopt different operating hours in observance of the holiday:

• All Sarasota County government offices, including libraries, recreation centers and the Florida Department of Health will close.
• Sarasota County’s Chemical Collection Centers at 8750 Bee Ridge Road and 250 S. Jackson Road will close.
• Central County Landfill Administration Office will close.
• Re-Uz-It Shop at 8750 Bee Ridge Road in Sarasota will close.
• Sarasota County Area Tranist (SCAT) offices and customer service windows will close.
• Sarasota County Emergency Rental Assistance Program Call Center will close.
• All city of Sarasota administrative offices will close.
• Arlington Park and Aquatic Complex, 2650 Waldemere Street in Sarasota, will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (last reservation at 1 p.m.)
• Lido Pool, 400 Benjamin Franklin Drive in Sarasota, will be open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
• Nature Trails at Bobby Jones Golf Club, 1000 Circus Blvd. in Sarasota, will be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Payne Park Tennis Center, 2050 Adams Lane in Sarasota, will be open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Robert L. Taylor Community Complex, 1845 34th Street in Sarasota, will be open from 6-10 a.m.
• Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall box office, 777 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, will open at 10 a.m.

The following services and facilities are unaffected by the holiday:

• SCAT bus service, including paratransit service and the Siesta Key Breeze and Mobility on Demand, will operate usual schedules Thursday, Nov. 11.
• Garbage, recycling and yard waste will be collected as regularly scheduled for residential customers in unincorporated Sarasota County.
• The Central County Landfill and the Citizens’ Convenience Center at 4010 Knights Trail Road in Nokomis will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. All hand unloads must arrive at least 30 minutes prior to closing.
• Residential garbage, recycling and yard waste collection and commercial garbage collection schedules in the city of Sarasota will be unaffected during the holiday week.

Veterans Day, commemorated annually on Nov. 11, was first celebrated in 1919 to honor those who fought in World War I. It was initially called Armistice Day and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

The holiday’s origin is tied to the armistice, a temporary end of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany signed in France on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

It became Veterans Day in 1954, shortly following the end of the Korean War and less than a decade after World War II, after various veterans service organizations urged Congress to encompass veterans of all wars in their honor.

While some ceremonies, parades and services may be canceled or altered as the coronavirus pandemic continues, here are some Veterans Day events planned in Sarasota County:

• Veterans Day Concert: This free concert by Sarasota High School and Booker Middle School takes place Wednesday, 7 p.m., in the Sarasota High School auditorium, 2155 Bahia Vista Street in Sarasota.
• Veterans Day Parade: Hosted Thursday by the city of Sarasota and the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, this annual parade and ceremony starts at 10 a.m. on Osprey Avenue in downtown Sarasota and will move east to west on Main Street, ending at Gulfstream Avenue. The event ends with an 11 a.m. ceremony at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park at the corner of Gulfstream and Main Street, recognizing the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the armistice was signed in 1918, ending World War I. This year’s parade theme is “All Gave Some…Some Gave All” and features guest speaker Army Chief Warrant Officer Wes Rinehart, a 2003 Sarasota Military Academy graduate who served several tours in Afghanistan.
• Veterans Appreciation Day: Participating businesses in St. Armands Circle will offer special discounts and offers to all members who have served in the military Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Veterans Day Catholic Mass: Thursday, 2:45 p.m., Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Road 72, Sarasota. This mass is hosted by the Diocese of Venice with the support of the Knights of Columbus, according to the Florida Catholic. The opening ceremony will include patriotic music, hymns, and the presenting and posting of the colors. This will be immediately followed by mass. After mass, “Taps” will be played.
• Veterans Health & Wellness Fair: Saturday, 11 a.m., at Goodwill Manasota Veterans Services, 8490 N. Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota. This free event offers various on-site health services for veterans, including dental screenings, blood pressure checks and blood sugar screenings. Veterans can also receive guidance on disability claims, learn about counseling services and stress release programs, smoking cessation, opioid treatment, CBD products, and services and activities such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, equine-assisted therapy, hunting and fishing trips, and more.

Restaurants and other businesses will continue to show their appreciation for veterans and active-military members.

Applebee’s, Bob Evans and Chili’s Grill and Bar are among the national restaurant chains offering free or discounted meals for veterans on Nov. 11, and 7-Eleven is offering a free cup of coffee or Big Gulp.

Other places, such as Golden Corral and Eat'n Park, have offers extended throughout November.

Veterans Day is somewhat related to, and sometimes mistaken for, Memorial Day, the federal holiday on the final Monday of May that is dedicated to those who have died while serving the United States.