Van Buren High School plans special observance

KEOSAUQUA ? Van Buren High School students and community are hosting the traveling exhibit, ?Remembering Our Fallen,? which honors Iowa military killed in the nation?s wars this century, mainly in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The exhibit arrives in Keosauqua Sunday evening, escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders. The community is invited to observe its arrival. The photographic display will be set up in the high school lobby entrance. It opens at 9 a.m. Monday, and the public is welcome to visit this patriotic and personal exhibit through Sept. 16. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. No admission is charged.

Tuesday, the 11th anniversary of 9/11, includes a special program at Van Buren High School beginning at 6:30 p.m.

?This is a new event for us,? said Audrey Eckle, high school English teacher. ?My public speaking class annually plans our Veterans Day celebration, so this year we wanted to add something for 9/11. I found this exhibit was available for the week.

?I?m working with our American Legion and VFW groups and Karen Riggle from the Van Buren County Commission of Veteran Affairs.?

Eckle has invited members of each American Legion Post in the county to be represented in the color guard Tuesday evening. Patriot Guard Riders also will attend.

A local, young military veteran, Jacob Polling, will be the guest speaker Tuesday evening, and the high school choir will participate.

?A number of former students have gone on to active duty,? said Eckle. ?Van Buren County has a number of veteran from several wars.?

All veterans and/or active duty, reserve and National Guard soldiers are invited to be honored in uniform or civilian dress Tuesday evening.

?I Will? tribute movement

In the classroom, where Eckle teaches grades 9-12, she has encouraged students to participate in 9/11 Movement Day. Several ideas, projects and groups formed after 9/11 to counter the negative connotations of destruction and loss.

?The Sept. 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance was created to

provide a positive way to forever remember and pay tribute to the 9/11 victims, honor those that rose in service in response to the attacks, and to remind people of the importance of working more closely together in peace to improve our world,? according to the website www.911day.org.

Eckle?s students are writing ?I will? statements, she said.

?It?s a pledge to do something positive,? said Eckle. ?It could be ?I will mentor a younger student? or ?I will volunteer at ? fill in the blank,? whatever a student comes up with. One student is pledging to donate to a food pantry. A few students will share those ?I will? statements at Tuesday evening?s program.?

?Remembering Our Fallen,? is produced by Patriotic Productions, formed by Bill and Evonne Williams of Omaha, Neb. More information is available at its website rememberingourfallen.org.

Van Buren?s hosting fee was donated by the Van Buren County Commission of Veteran Affairs.

Fairfield?s day of service

Fairfield community is hosting an opportunity to engage in service Tuesday. Fairfield Volunteer Center is coordinating a beautification project at the Fairfield Fire Station.

Volunteers are invited to plant memorial flowers and bulbs, spread mulch and water the new plantings from 4-6 p.m. Tuesday. Anyone with rakes, shovels, trowels, gloves ? any gardening and planting tools ? is asked to bring them along to the fire station. Volunteers can stay for as long or as little as they like.

Contact the Fairfield Volunteer Center at 209-9045 or inside Fairfield Public Library or at fairfieldvolunteers@gmail.com for more information and to sign up.