Flags decorate Veterans Day ceremony in downtown Mason City
MASON CITY — 33 veterans whose names were added to the veterans monument in Mason City’s Central Park were honored this morning as a part of Veterans Day. Prior to the ceremony, veterans and volunteers placed American flags around the area of the veterans monument.
Main Street Mason City executive director Emily Ginneberge says after sponsoring similar flag placings to commemorate Memorial Day and Independence Day, the organization decided to honor veterans in the same way. “This is our first Veterans Day flag planting ceremony and we’re so grateful to be able to have something like this for veterans to support them and show them that we appreciate them and all they’ve done for us and our country.”
Ginneberge says Main Street Mason City has been wanting to celebrate every American holiday and show the community how much it means to their organization. “And to also promote our downtown community and doing some special new annual traditions that we would like to continue hosting from year to year. We would love anybody that is interested in getting involved in it to come downtown and get involved or contact our Main Street offices. This is just really a small way for us to get started on something grander that we would like to do eventually for the community and our downtown community.”
Ginneberge says the Main Street organization thanks veterans for all they’ve done for our country. Veterans Day is really incredible because we get to show our veterans that fought for our country and fought for all of our families and ancestors and honor them and what they did for our country, so that we can have the incredible things that we had today and be able to live free. We’re so grateful for them, and so this is just a way to kind of celebrate them and show them that we support them and how grateful we are for them and the ones that are in our community.”
After the ceremonies in Central Park, the All Veterans Center, formerly the Mason City VFW, hosted a Veterans Day program.