Southampton Village is marking Veterans Day with two free events four days apart, both within a block of Jobs Lane. On Sunday, November 8, Southampton Arts Center screens three short films about local veterans who served across six decades, followed by a conversation with them. On Wednesday, November 11, the village's Veterans Day parade steps off at 10:45 a.m. and ends at the World War I memorial in Agawam Park for an 11 a.m. ceremony.

Sunday, Nov. 8: Honoring Veterans by Sharing Their Stories

Southampton Arts Center, at 25 Jobs Lane, hosts the program from 3 to 5 p.m. It features three short documentaries from the USA Warrior Archive, each built around one local veteran:

  • Arthur Muller, who served in the Navy from 1942 to 1945.
  • John Melillo, who served in the Army from 1970 to 1972.
  • Susan E. Soto, who served in the Air Force from 1982 to 1992.

After the screenings, Soto and Melillo take questions along with Sandy Raynor, Arthur Muller's daughter. The conversation is moderated by Matt Hindra and Nick Kraus, the founders of USA Warrior Stories, the project that records veterans' accounts of their service so they are preserved. Admission is free, and the arts center asks guests to register in advance on its website.

Wednesday, Nov. 11: the parade and ceremony

The Veterans Day parade begins at 10:45 a.m. at Southampton Presbyterian Church and proceeds down Jobs Lane to Agawam Park. The ceremony starts at 11 a.m. at the park's World War I memorial, the columned monument dedicated to the men of Southampton who served in that war. The village flyer invites veterans, their families, students, community organizations and neighbors to take part, and asks residents to bring the family and fly the flag.

The parade is presented by the organizers of the Southampton Fourth of July Parade, with Thea Dombrowski-Fry as coordinator. The timing puts the ceremony at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the moment the World War I armistice took effect in 1918 and the origin of the holiday.

Planning a visit

Both events are free and open to the public. Southampton Arts Center's galleries are also open Friday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., so the Sunday program can be paired with a visit to the current exhibition.

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