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Veterans Day events still on for Wednesday

The State Journal-Register - 11/10/2020

Nov. 10--A number of Veterans Day events are still on in the area Wednesday.

Veterans Day is a federal holiday so all federal, state, county and municipal offices are closed.

Because of an increase in positive COVID-19 tests on its campus, the University of Illinois Springfield has canceled all in-person gatherings through Wednesday, including the flag raising ceremony slated for Veterans Day in front of the Public Affairs Center.

Elsewhere, Vincent Speranza of Auburn, a U.S. Army paratrooper during World War II and a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, will be the subject of a Facebook Live interview at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum oral history director Mark DePue will interview Speranza at https://www.facebook.com/Lincoln.Museum.

The 95-year-old Speranza detailed his story, including an internationally-acclaimed beer run for wounded American soldiers, in the book "Nuts! A 101st Airborne Division Machine Gunner at Bastogne." Airborne beer, a traditional Belgian Brown Ale, is brewed in his honor.

The ALPLM offers free admission for veterans Wednesday. Call 558-8844 in advance.

Lincoln Land Community College's Student Life will hold its 25th annual Veterans Day Ceremony, which will be held virtually Wednesday. The ceremony honors all veterans including LLCC faculty, staff and students who served in the armed forces. Visit https://www.llcc.edu/ for more information.

American Legion Post 32, 1120 Sangamon Ave., will have free SOS (ground beef in a cream sauce served on toast) served by Legion Riders from 7 to 10 a.m. and a free ham and bean dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Taylorville VFW 4495, 515 N. West Ave., will host a lunch for veterans at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

The guest speaker will be Chief Dwayne Wheeler from the Taylorville Police Department. Lunch will be served after the program.

The event is free and open to the public.

At Lincoln College, William "Bill" Gossett will be honored with a Doctorate of Humane Letters at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Due to the college's current guidelines, guests may view the ceremony on LCTV on Xfinity Cable Channel 5, online at https://lincolncollege.edu/lctv-stream.

Gossett is a 1943 alum of Lincoln College, is a U.S. Army veteran, who ran several businesses in Lincoln.

Gossett served in the Army Air Corps in the U.S. and Europe from 1943 to 1946, during World War II.

After returning home, Gossett took over the family business, Gossett's Cleaners, which served the Lincoln Community for 75 years. He later started Gossett's Decorator Studio and ran both businesses until retiring in 2001.

Gossett has been an active member of numerous civic organizations.

What's open, closed

Veterans Day is a federal and state of Illinois holiday, so government offices are closed. There is no mail delivery and banks are closed.

Sangamon County and city of Springfield offices are closed as is Lincoln Library.

At UIS, all in-person gatherings, meetings and athletic practices or training are either postponed or canceled, and The Recreation and Athletic Center and Brookens Library are closed.

The LLCC campus is open and classes are in session. District 186 classes are not being held. Midwest Technical Institute is open with regular classes.

Sangamon Mass Transit District buses are running normal schedules.

Contact Steven Spearie at 622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com or twitter.com/@stevenspearie.

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(c)2020 The State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill.

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