Veteran of the Year ceremony still a go

Aug. 25--HILLSDALE -- "The World's Most Popular Fair" may have been cancelled in the wake of COVID-19, but planning for the annual Veteran of the Year Ceremony is well underway.

The ceremony is typically held on the fair's veterans day (Monday) immediately following a parade through Hillsdale ending at the fairgrounds.

Gary Noblit, the chairman of the Veteran of the Year Committee, is hard at work planning this years celebration which will occur at 11 a.m.Sept. 28.

"I just couldn't let this program go for the year," Noblit said. "The backbone of our society is freedom and I think we should recognize those who continue to contribute (after serving in the military)."

The Veteran of the Year award acknowledges military veterans who continue their acts of selfless service beyond military service by actively participating in community service projects and clubs.

Recipients have to have been honorably discharged from military service and be nominated by a member of any American Legion or Veteran of Foreign Wars Post in Hillsdale County, although they do not have to be a ranking member of any Post themselves, Noblit said.

The Veteran of the Year Committee--comprised of delegates from each post--will meet sometime after Sept. 1 to review nominations and decide who will be named the 2020 Veteran of the Year and Runner-Up Veteran of the Year. A press release will then follow identifying the awardees and inviting the general public to the ceremony Sept. 28.

"We consider it quite an honor," Noblit, who has served as chairman for the past decade, said.

With a pool of over 4,000 veterans in Hillsdale County, the decision can be difficult.

Those chosen to be honored are forever memorialized with an engraved marker at the Hillsdale County Veteran of the Year memorial at the Nichols Bandshell at the fairgrounds.

Hillsdale resident Dominik Balser constructed the memorial with advisement from the American Legion Jonesville Post as part of his Eagle Scout project.

This years ceremony will seem quite different without the bustling and often packed activities of "The World's Most Popular Fair" in the background, Noblit and the committee are making preparations to continue the time honored traditions as normal which may very well include a live marching band performing patriotic music for the event.

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