Athens Veterans Day celebration features Wall That Heals, music and parade

ATHENS — Starting with the Wall That Heals and culminating with the Veterans Day Parade, Athens is hosting activities saluting those who served.

The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, is on display at Athens State University’s Beasley Field. The memorial is open 24 hours a day until Sunday.

After today’s opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m., guided tours begin at 11 a.m. There is also an artist’s reception for the “Vietnam: Then and Now” exhibition at Nazaretian Alumni Welcome Center at Athens State.

On Saturday, Athens State hosts “Salute to Service,” a musical tribute to veterans featuring Jimmy Fortune. The performances will be 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at McCandless Hall, 367 E. Bryan Street. Veterans will receive a discounted price for tickets. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.athens.edu/salute.

The Alabama Veterans Museum, with its new Black Hawk helicopter display, is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday.

And, it all wraps up Tuesday with the annual Athens Limestone County Veterans Day Parade.

Hosted by the AMVETS AL Post 2, the parade steps off at 11 a.m. The parade route is:

• Start: Corner of Pryor and Golden Eagle Drive

• Head West on Pryor

• South on Shaw

• West on Hobbs

• South on Jefferson

• East on Market

• South on Marion

• West on Washington

• South on Jefferson

• Finish: Public Library

While all city ooffices will be closed Tuesday, sanitation routes will run as scheduled. All residents with Tuesday service are encouraged to have their bins to the curb by 6 a.m.