About this Event
For the past 4 years, the Fort Monroe Authority (FMA) has hosted a Veterans Day Celebration dedicated to honoring those who have served in the United States Armed Forces. For veterans, their families, and their communities, Veterans Day provides a time to reflect on the contributions of those who have worn the uniform, acknowledge their enduring impact, and to honor their sacrifices.
This event will recognize the importance of celebrating those who served and provide event participants an opportunity to learn about military service through the ages, connect with veteran services, and enjoy a day of comradery.
Fort Monroe Authority’s Veterans Day Celebration combines a Veterans Honor Ceremony with a family friendly event. The Veterans Honor Ceremony begins at 11 a.m. and will feature the Joint Base Langley-Eustis Honor Guard and historical interpreters portraying individuals whose lives illuminate different dimensions of military service and the early nation’s evolving ideas of liberty and citizenship. There Ceremony concludes with the Armed Forces Medley, the sounding of Taps and Flag Planting for the Fallen. Each year over 300 small flags are placed during the Ceremony and remain for a week in Continental Park.
Ron Carnegie of Colonial Williamsburg will portray General George Washington; nationally recognized storyteller Darci Tucker will portray Deborah Sampson, who served in the Continental Army disguised as a man; and Stephen Seals of Colonial Williamsburg will portray James Armistead Lafayette, an enslaved Virginian whose intelligence work aided the American victory at Yorktown. Together, their stories help place Fort Monroe’s own long military history within a larger American story, one shaped by service and sacrifice.
Throughout the day, visitors can meet living-history interpreters representing multiple periods of American military history, see displays and exhibits from local area museums, nonprofit organizations, connect with organizations serving veterans and military families, and support veteran-owned and veteran-operated businesses. Featured entertainments will be living history demonstrations, The Aeronaughts puppet play by Shades of Our Past, JROTC performances, the Doorways Singers Salutes: A Tribute to the USO program and the William and Mary Cornet Brass Band.
The event is free and open to the public, with no registration or ticketing required. Food trucks will be onsite, and tables and chairs will be provided for seating nearby. All parts of the event are family friendly, and service animals are welcome throughout the event area. FMA’s Veterans Day Celebration recommits to Answering the Call and standing with veterans not just in gratitude, but in ongoing action and support. For event updates, check out Facebook or FMA’s events calendar.
Event venue & nearby stays
Continental Park, 4 Fenwick Road, Hampton, United States
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