Carroll County’s family friendly free veterans celebration set for Sunday

Carroll County will honor those that served in the U.S. military at a family-friendly veterans celebration at the farm museum Sunday.

Carroll County will hold its third annual free, family friendly Veterans Celebration from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday at the Carroll County Farm Museum, 500 S. Center St., Westminster.

Festivities include food and beer vendors, displays of military equipment, cornhole, a resource fair with information about veterans’ organizations, artisans and exhibits, a children’s bounce house, face painters, balloon artists, and live music.

Celene Steckel, director of the Department of Citizen Services, which includes the Veterans Services Program, said last year’s event attracted about 2,000 people.

“We’ve added some fun things for families to encourage not just our veterans and military members to attend, but also to bring their families with them,” Steckel said. “And it’s open for everyone, it’s not just for veterans, because the celebration includes other people outside of the veteran community to help us thank and honor our veterans.”

The event will feature country and bluegrass music from The United States Navy Country Current Band from noon to 1 p.m. and classic rock from the band Midnite Run from 2 to 4 p.m.

A welcoming ceremony at 1 p.m. will be followed by a recognition of those who served during the time of the Iraq War. Last year’s celebration gave special recognition to those that served in the Afghanistan War. Organizers plan to honor veterans of a different conflict each year.

The Oriole Bird, mascot of the Baltimore Orioles, will visit from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

This year’s event also will feature a gathering for spouses of veterans to meet and interact, likely during the 1 o’clock hour, Veterans Advisory Council Celebration Committee Chair Steve Whisler said. Whisler was appointed to the advisory council in February 2019 and is also a member of the county’s school board.

“It’s really important to recognize that dedication, the spirit of giving that the veteran has given, but we also want to honor our spouses and our children,” Whisler said. “They didn’t raise their hand and swear an oath, but they serve right alongside their husband, or their wife, or their mother, or their father, and it’s really important to honor them as well.”

A veteran himself, Whisler joined the Navy after high school and served from 1986 to 2006. He said his service includes a decade enlisted as a Farsi linguist, and a decade as a cryptologic officer, managing linguist and intelligence personnel and missions. The sailor accumulated at least four years of sea time and worked on numerous ships in the Persian Gulf.

The event is hosted by the Veterans Services Program of Carroll County, and produced with insights from the Veterans Advisory Council and Celebration Committee. The Celebration Committee is chaired by a member of the veterans council and was formed in 2022 for the express purpose of coordinating the event. Commissioners set aside $15,000 in the county’s fiscal 2024 operating budget to fund the celebration, but the committee has raised just over $12,000 to defray expenses, according to county communications manager Chris Winebrenner.

Veterans who attend will receive a $5 coupon for purchases at select food vendors and complimentary water. While supplies last, veterans can also receive a free sport pack and lapel pin to commemorate the event.

Whisler said the impetus of the event is to ensure veterans are aware the resources available to them and that they can access those resources without issue.

“We are a very patriotic county and we certainly support our veterans,” Steckel said. “We want to make sure that they feel welcome that they get the support that they need, that they get access to services, and that they are encouraged to take the benefits that they’re entitled to, to have the best quality of life that they can. We want to try to connect them to all the services that are out there, and we also want to we want to engage their families. It’s not just about the veterans themselves, because when the when an individual serves their family is serving as well.”

Parking at the farm museum is free, and handicapped parking will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. No pets, glass containers or outside alcohol are permitted at the event. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. The outdoor event will held rain-or-shine, according to the county’s event page.

“A lot of veterans settle in this area,” Whisler said, “and they’re a big part of our county, a big part of our culture, and our heritage. It’s really important to recognize that.”