The Military History Center will present its annual Salute to Veterans concert at the Broken Arrow Kirkland Theater located at 808 East College Street at 2 p.m. on November 10.
Veterans Day is November 11.
After the Presentation of Colors by the Broken Arrow High School Air Force JROTC, 2019 Miss Broken Arrow, Maggie Bond, will sing several patriotic and military songs of past eras.
The concert will be highlighted by the Tulsa Community Band which will play patriotic music to honor all those who have served in America’s armed forces.
Broken Arrow City Councilor Johnnie Parks, who was part of the Old Guard while in the U.S. Army, will be the guest speaker at this event.
There is no charge for admission, but donations may be made to the Military History Center at the concert to help cover the cost of the event. This is the fifth year that the event will be held and the second year that it will be in the Kirkland Theater.
The Military History Center, located at 112 North Main Street in Broken Arrow, represents all branches of the military service and has artifacts from all of America’s major wars.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call the Military History Center at 918-794-2712 or visit www.okmhc.org.
The Tulsa Community Band has been in existence since 1938, originally organized as the American Legion Band. Composed of approximately 85 musicians, both amateur and professional, from all walks of life and backgrounds, the Tulsa Community Band rehearses and performs year-round in all types of venues throughout Northeast Oklahoma. The band is an all-volunteer organization. Their musical repertoire covers a wide field of styles, from difficult orchestral transcriptions for band all the way to Dixieland.
The band prides itself in being able to present a wide variety of musical styles to the Northeast Oklahoma community. They perform annually at the Memorial Day observance at Tulsa’s Memorial Park Cemetery and at the Military History Center’s Salute to Veterans Concert.
Bond was the 2019 Miss Broken Arrow and is the guest soloist for the Salute to Veterans program. She recently received a degree in music from Oklahoma City University. She is the current Miss Bricktown and formerly Miss Tulsa and Miss OCU. Maggie is a member of the Military History Center and says of the Center’s veterans that
“These veterans have become like family in my life,” Bond said. “They instilled a love for the history, culture, and music of their time. So I thank them not only for their service but for them simply being who they are – they are a God-send.”
Parks was assigned to the Old Guard as a member of the Honor Guard Company as Casket Bearer at Arlington National Cemetery. He was honorably discharged in 1975. He has served on the Broken Arrow City Council and the Planning Commission. He has been a consistent supporter of the Military History Center.