The Memorial Opera House celebrated Veteran’s Day in proper style with a USO-themed Lunchtime Cabaret event.
The Presentation of the Colors started the event, carried out by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and then the entertainment portion got hands clapping and minds “remembering when”.
“We partnered up with United Way RSVP, Americorps, VNA of Porter County, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and the Porter County Museum because we were all doing separate Veteran’s Day celebrations and we decided to do one big one instead,” Scot MacDonald, Artistic Director of the Memorial Opera House said. “The Lunchtime Cabaret just happened to fall on Veteran’s Day so we wanted to do an extra special performance for our veterans and guests.”
Veterans and their families filled the theatre and sang along to the songs that were performed by talented thespians: Christina Pals, Valerie Balogh, Natalia Klobucher, Bryce Shaffer, John Peluso, and Stephen Sienicki. Musical accompaniment was provided by Jim Mollin, Don Parker, Mark Danielson, and Kyle Liedtke.
Even Congressman Pete Visclosky and State Representative Ed Soliday were present to take in the festivities.
Great old tunes like “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, “As Time Goes By”, “Steppin’ Out With My Baby”, and many more were performed as well as patriotic melodies “America the Beautiful” and “The Star Spangled Banner”.
Following the entertainment all of the veterans were recognized and a moment of silence was held to remember those brave men and women who lost their lives.
A special pinning ceremony, provided by the VNA of Porter County, took place where each veteran was presented with a special pin and certificate, honoring them for their service to our country. When that concluded everyone was invited next door to the Porter County Museum for a special reception.
Thank you to all of the veterans who served out country. We can never completely repay you for what you did for us, but we remember and we promise never to forget.
Happy Veteran’s Day.