Veterans Day ceremonies are planned across Santa Barbara County on Wednesday including the inaugural Field of Honor featuring lighted flags at a Santa Maria park.

Assorted events will mark the day to honor the sacrifice and service of current and former military members. 

In Santa Barbara, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1649 and Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation plan to hold the Veterans Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, 901 Channel Drive.

Performances and presentations will include Bernard “Barney” Melekian, the UCSB Color Guard, Gold Coast Pipe & Drum Band, David Gonzales, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, and The Prime Time Band. The conclusion will involve an aircraft flyover.

This year’s ceremony will focus on the military reserves and their role as a vital component of the nation’s armed forces. 

In the United States, reservists typically train one weekend a month and approximately two weeks a year, although commitments vary. They can be deployed domestically or overseas and have been routinely called up in recent decades.

The ceremony near the main flagpole will offer seating for up to 600, with additional standing room and plenty of parking. However, disabled parking spots will not be available so attendees should arrive early if needed.

In Santa Maria, officials will gather at the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial to mark its 25th anniversary by holding a Veterans Day ceremony and dedicating a new plaque for a fallen soldier. 

The ceremony will start at 10 a.m. Wednesday in front of the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St. The earlier starting time will allow veterans and community members to attend other Veterans Day activities throughout the area.

This year’s event will feature the dedication of a new memorial plaque honoring Cpl. Kenneth S. Adams, a Santa Maria High School graduate who was killed in Vietnam on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, 1967.

The addition of Adams will bring the number of fallen Santa Maria Valley service members honored at the monument to 114.

Established in 2001, the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial recognizes local service members who lost their lives in service to our country, from World War I to the present. The memorial grounds also include plaques and monuments honoring veterans, military service, and local veterans’ organizations.

The 25th anniversary ceremony will feature remarks by Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino, Santa Maria Valley Chamber President Michael Boyer, and Col. James T. Horne III from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Representatives of local veterans’ organizations, including Michael Stadnick Jr. and Joseph Skoda, will also participate. 

Robert P. (Bob) Hatch, co-founder of the Freedom Monument Veterans Memorial, will deliver the keynote address. Fellow co-founder Dave Cross will serve as master of ceremonies.

Students from St. Mary of the Assumption School will read the names of the 114 fallen service members.

From noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, attorney Michael B. Clayton will again host his free barbecue lunch at the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Community Center, 313 W. Tunnell St. The event typically kicks off with a short ceremony and includes various displays.

The meal is free for veterans, activity duty military personnel and family members. Others can dine for a donation of $10. 

Later Wednesday, the Noontime Rotary Club of Santa Maria will host a ceremony to celebrate the Field of Honor featuring dozens of full-size lighted flags at Rotary Centennial Park, 2625 S. College Drive with the display in place for at least two days.

Supporters have purchased the 125 flags at $50 each while sharing the stories of veterans and first responders as part of a lighted display. 

A sunset ceremony for Field of Honor will occur at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday with speakers including Col. Justin Overmyer, Space Launch Delta 30 deputy commander for operations at Vandenberg.

Field of Honor will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Proceeds will benefit Honor Flight of the Central Coast and the Noontime Rotary Club of Santa Maria.

Other North County ceremonies Wednesday will be in:

• Solvang, where residents from throughout the Santa Ynez Valley will gather at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Hall, 1745 Mission Drive, for a ceremony set to start at 11 a.m. Chief Master Sgt. Shannan K. Sanchez, Space Launch Delta 30 command enlisted leader at Vandenberg, will be among the speakers. 

• Guadalupe, where the Veterans Day ceremony will start at 11 a.m. at the Guadalupe Cemetery, 4655 W. Main St.