There have been school and community Veterans Day programs in the area for many years, but those have been changed this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and the health threat large gatherings pose to older people.
Chadron Middle School, for example, will stream its Veterans Day program to allow veterans in particular to attend virtually and safely. The program begins at 9:40 on the school district’s Striv channel striv.tv/chadron
The Hot Springs schools traditionally fill Case Auditorium to standing-room only for its Veterans Day program, but is also barring the public and streaming it instead using the district’s new LiveTicket TV equipment.
The majority of the Hot Springs students will be watching remotely with the program limited to the 250 or so students directly involved along with a handful of adults..
It begins at 9:00 AM and can be found at hotsprings.liveticket.tv. Superintendent Dennis Fischer says it will be recorded for future viewing.
The Edgemont schools are still having their program, but moved it off campus to the St James Catholic Church Parish Hall and pre-recorded and uploaded it to YouTube for classroom viewing. It also releases at 9:00 am.
As in Chadron and Hot Springs, the only students attending were those in the program – this year’s 10 seniors – but there will also be space for local veterans
The Chadron American Legion isn’t holding its free lunch for veterans for the same reason, but the VFW and other local veterans groups once again put up American flags around the Dawes County Courthouse in Chadron.
Volunteers will be most gratefully accepted to help take down the flags starting this afternoon at 3:30.