Veterans Day events in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Luann Gibbs, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·6 min read

Here's a look at local specials and events taking place around the city to commemorate Veteran's Day.

Friday, Nov. 10

Veterans Day Celebration, 6-11 a.m., Hard Rock Casino, 1000 Broadway, Downtown. WGRR Chris and Janeen host morning show salute to veterans, Pete Wagner Band featuring Nancy James perform patriotic music tribute. Veterans, military personnel and first responders can enjoy free breakfast special.

Saturday, Nov. 11

Community Days: Veterans Day, Great Parks of Hamilton County. No motor vehicle permit required to drive into Great Parks on Community Days. greatparks.org.

Veterans Day Ceremony & Senior Breakfast, 8:30 a.m.-noon, Highland Heights City Building, 176 Johns Hill Road, Highland Heights. Ceremony followed by breakfast and bingo. hhky.com.

DAV 5K, 9 a.m., Great American Ball Park, 100 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown. Walk, run, roll or ride to raise awareness of issues our injured veterans face. Post-race party at The Banks. Benefits Disabled American Veterans. Support.dav.org.

Great Parks Veterans Day Celebration, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Sharon Woods, Pavilion Grove Shelter, 11450 Lebanon Road, Sharonville. Join guided hikes, enjoy s'mores, light refreshments and lawn games. Free.

Veterans Day Celebration, 10:15 a.m., American Legion Post 218, 116 Main St., Middletown. U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson is featured speaker. There is a free dinner with reservations due Nov. 6: 513-422-5424.

Celebrating Veterans Day, 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Tri-State Warbird Museum, 4021 Borman Drive, Batavia. Enjoy coffee and donuts, veterans raffle drawing, B-25 flight demo at noon followed by WASP Lecture Series. tri-statewarbirdmuseum.org.

Veterans Day Ceremony and Luncheon, 10:30 a.m., Blue Ash Recreation Center, 4433 Cooper Road, Blue Ash. Memorial ceremony, patriotic music from the Ohio Military Band, keynote address by Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, and luncheon served by the 124rd Air Control Squadron. Free, luncheon is $7 per person. facebook.com.

Veterans Day Service, 11 a.m., Eden Park, Vietnam Memorial at St. Paul Drive, Mount Adams. The Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter 10 and Vietnam Veterans of Southwest Ohio Foundation host service. Rain or shine. Afterward, enjoy open house luncheon at Chapter 10 headquarters (8418 Reading Road, Reading). Free. 513-761-8007.

Veterans Day Ceremony, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Tower Park, 900 S. Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas. Ceremony at the Charters of Freedom in Tower Park, followed by refreshments across the street at Mess Hall (801 Cochran Ave.). Free. facebook.com.

Veterans Day Ceremony, 11 a.m., VFW Post 10380, Veterans Park Plaza, 6231 Harrison Ave., Green Township. In case of inclement weather, ceremony will be held at Nathanael Green Lodge, (6394 Wesselman Road, Green Township). Free. vfw10380.org.

Freedom Ride & Rally, 11 a.m., Queen City Harley Davidson, 4860 Premier Way, West Chester Township. Registration at 11 a.m., ride starts at 11:30 a.m. Afterward, free burgers and hot dogs. There's a pie bake-off and live music, too. Facebook.com.

Honoring Veterans, noon-2 p.m., Walnut Hills Branch Library, 2533 Kemper Lane, Walnut Hills. Enjoy patriotic military music, discussion of the book "The Gold Star Mother Pilgrimages of the 1930" with local historian John Graham. Presented in partnership with the Veterans Administration. Free.

Veterans Day Concert, 4-5:30 p.m., First Baptist Church, 4410 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring. Featuring over 100 musicians from Viva Voices, the River's Edge Brass Band and Tunnel to Towers. Free. Vivavoices.net.

Veterans Day Ceremony, 7 p.m., American Legion Post 484, 1837 Sutton, Mount Washington. Past Commander Steve Ervin leads proceedings. Keynote speaker is Glenn Johnson. Free.

Canary in Combat Boots, 7:30 p.m., Fitton Center for the Arts, 101 S. Monmouth St., Hamilton. Celebrate Veteran’s Day with US Army vet Alexis Cole and her eclectic mix of stories and WWII-era jazz standards. $35-$43. Fittoncenter.org.

Veterans Day approaches and local and national chains alike offer discounts and freebies to those who have served in the military.
Veterans Day approaches and local and national chains alike offer discounts and freebies to those who have served in the military.

Sunday, Nov. 12

Honor Run Half Marathon, 10K and 5K, 7 a.m., Florence Y'all Watertower at Florence Mall, 500 Mall Circle Road, Florence. Benefits Honor Flight Tri-State. honorrunhalf.com. SOLD OUT.

Veterans Day 2023, 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. Military history presentation by Dr. Michael Gunn at 10 a.m., art showcase of veterans participating in Cincinnati VA’s Creative Arts Therapy program 9 a.m.-noon and 4-7 p.m., Queen City Band performance 5-6:15 p.m. Free, tickets required for presentation and music. Memorialhallotr.com.

Veterans Day Program and Parade, 1 p.m., Main St., Batavia. Program on courthouse steps followed by parade. B-25 flyover at 1:50 p.m. Free. clermontcountyveterans.com.

Specials from local businesses

Nov. 1-30: Moerlein Lager House DAV Original, daily, Moerlein Lager House, 115 Joe Nuxhall Way, Downtown. Guests can order this special beer during the month of November and $2 from each purchase benefits the nonprofit Disabled American Veterans.

Nov. 1-30: YMCA of Greater Cincinnati, all locations. Veterans and military personnel can join the Y for a reduced fee of $49 per month or $69 per month for family. myy.org.

Nov. 1-14: Taste of Belgium, all locations. Guests can buy a signature DAV cookie and $1 from each sale benefits the Disabled American Veterans. In addition, from Nov. 1-21 guests may round up their check to the nearest dollar to support DAV. dav.org.

Nov. 10: Christmas Night of Lights, dusk-10 p.m., Coney Island, 6201 Kellogg Ave., Anderson Township. All veterans and active military receive $5 off admission with valid military ID. coneyislandpark.com.

Nov. 10-12: Light Up the Fair, dusk, Boone County Fairgrounds, 5819 Idlewild Road, Burlington. Free admission to all veterans this weekend. lightupthefair.com.

Nov. 11: B105 Military Days at the Cincinnati Zoo, 3400 Vine St., Avondale. All members of the military, active and retired, receive free admission, and half-price admission for up to six family members. cincinnatizoo.org.

Nov. 11: Free Meals for Veterans, All Bob Evans Restaurant locations. Veterans must show proof of service. Accepted forms of ID are: Us Uniformed Services Retired Card, current leave and earnings statement (LES), veterans organization card, photo of self in uniform, wearing uniform, DD214 and citation or commemoration. bobevans.com.

Nov. 11: Complimentary Meal on Veterans Day, all Gold Star Chili locations. Veterans must show proof of service, which can include Uniformed Services ID Card, U.S. Uniformed Services Retired ID Card, current LES, veterans organization card, wearing uniform in store, photo of self in uniform, or a citation or commemoration. goldstarchili.com.

Nov. 11: Veterans Day Meal, participating Chilis Restaurant locations. Free entree. Must present Military ID to redeem. chilis.com.

Nov. 11: Veterans Day Meal, participating White Castle restaurants. Those presenting active or retired military ID receive free individual combo meal or breakfast combo meal. prnewswire.com.

Nov. 11: Gyros for Our Heroes, all Taziki's Mediterranean Cafes. Veterans receive a free grilled chicken gyro.

Nov. 13: U.S. Military Appreciation Night, 5 p.m.-close, all Golden Corral locations. Any person who has served in the U.S. Military (active duty, retired, veterans, National Guard or Reserves) receive free dinner. goldencorral.com.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Veterans Day 2023 events in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky