Fair Veterans Day event activities set

Van Wert County Fair information

Veterans Day at the Van Wert County Fair will be held Friday, August 30. Veterans Program begins at 11 a.m. with the serving of ham and beans with cornbread. Food will be served until 4 p.m. or it’s all gone.

The Veterans Service Commission of Van Wert County, as well as every veterans service organization in the county and the Fair Board, is sponsoring this event. All activities are being held in the Entertainment Tent, located on the west side of the Commercial Building.

Veterans and their spouses have free admittance to the fair from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. A special veterans program will begin at noon, with this year’s speaker being Jim Forster of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services.

The Veterans Service Office will move from the Courthouse to the fairgrounds for the day to answer any questions pertaining to VA benefits.

Guest speaker is Jim Forster of the Ohio Department of Veterans’ Services. Forster has been working with the Governor’s Office of Veterans’ Affairs since 1993, and currently is the deputy director for field services, training and operations.

Others participating in the veterans event will include:

• County Recorder Kim Hughes, who will answer any questions pertaining to recording military discharges (DD-214), and other services available through her office.
• Marita Gallaway and Marshall Phillips, from the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System Seamless Transition Program.
• Christopher Stack from the Fort Wayne Veterans Center, which provides a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral service to veterans in order to enhance post-war readjustments to civilian life. All services are free to eligible veterans, their families, and significant others.
• Elizabeth Estrada, office manager of the Dayton VA Medical Center ‘s Lima VA Outpatient Clinic.

Veterans and their families should plan to stop in and enjoy a bowl of ham and beans with cornbread, as well as listen to the veterans’ presentations.

Tom Ruppert will provide music for the Veterans Day event from 2 to 3 p.m. that day.