Veterans Day events

Inland Northwest veterans will be honored today with concerts, talks, a parade, a dance, special ceremonies and meals. Veterans Day events include:

Spokane

Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena ceremony – 10 a.m., 720 W. Mallon Ave. To honor and thank all veterans for their service and sacrifices. Keynote speaker is William Fred Aronow, Army Reserve ambassador from Spokane. (509) 434-7508

Cake and coffee for veterans – 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 4707 N. Addison St. Free. Hosted by volunteers at the Neva-Wood COPS Shop. (509) 625-3353

Veterans Day buffet – 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. VFW Post 51, 300 W. Mission Ave. Free for veterans; donation for others. (509) 327-9847

Veterans’ Voices Panel – Noon-1 p.m., Jepson Center for the School of Business Administration, Room 006, Gonzaga University. A panel of veterans who have returned from active duty within the past five years and an expert who works with female soldiers will discuss homecoming experiences. Part of Gonzaga’s Veterans Oral History Project, which is gathering stories of service personnel returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Free. (509) 313-6095

Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes – Noon, 1115 W. Riverside Ave. Special Mass celebrated by the Rev. Darrin Connall, rector of the cathedral. Knights of Columbus will serve as color guard; cathedral trumpeter Chris Cook will play taps. (509) 358-4290

Bikes for homeless veterans – 2-7 p.m., two locations: Volunteers of America, 525 W. Second Ave.; and Two Wheel Transit, 1405 W. First Ave. Drop off new or used bicycles, helmets, lights, locks, water bottles or cash donations. (509) 499-9886

Pages of Harmony Barbershop Chorus – 7 p.m., Lincoln Center, 1316 N. Lincoln St. To honor six of Spokane’s remaining Pearl Harbor survivors near the 70th anniversary of the 1941 attack, the 35-man barbershop chorus will perform patriotic songs saluting military veterans. Proceeds support Honor Flight costs to send Spokane World War II veterans to visit the Washington, D.C., memorial honoring their service and sacrifice. $25/advance, $45/door. (509) 325-2925

Salute to veterans dance – 7-9:30 p.m., Sons of Norway Hall, 6710 N. Country Homes Blvd. MasterClass Jazz Orchestra will play big band music; dance lesson 6-7 p.m. $10. (509) 326-9211

Authors recall World War II – 7 p.m., Auntie’s Bookstore, 402 W. Main Ave. Biographer Dorothy Read and Ilse Evelijn Veere Smit of Whidbey Island, Wash., present their book, “End the Silence.” Smit and her family lived in the colonial Dutch East Indies, then spent time in a concentration camp on Java and found themselves in the middle of the Indonesian revolution. (509) 838-0206

Outward Bound benefit – Saturday, 2-4 p.m., Harvard Park Retirement Community, 1616 E. 30th Ave. Dessert and guest speakers to benefit Outward Bound for Veterans. Free. (509) 747-2703

Idaho

Spirit of Freedom – 9:30 a.m., Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center, 325 Bird Ranch Road, Sagle. Featuring Brigadier Gen. William H. Shawver Jr. of the Idaho National Guard and Purple Heart recipient and decorated pilot Dick Rutan. A surprise event will be held at 11:11 a.m. Panhandle Shrine Club will have lunches available for $7, free for veterans and active military. Free museum and event admission. (208) 255-4321 or www.birdaviationmuseum.com.

Hayden parade – 9:45-11 a.m., Government Way between Dakota and Honeysuckle avenues, Hayden. Grand marshal is local veteran Gerald Engelbrecht; A10 flyover by Idaho Air National Guard. Parade dedicated to Coeur d’Alene soldiers Spc. Nicholas Newby and Sgt. Nathan Beyers, both killed in action July 7 in Baghdad. (208) 209-1080

Lutheran Church service – 11 a.m., Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1700 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Coeur d’Alene. Service for veterans and current military personnel. Washington Air National Color Guard will present our national and military colors. Free. (208) 765-8600

Project America Run – 7 p.m., Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint. Presented by Honoring Our Veterans. Free. (208) 263-9191

Region

Recreation fee waivers – Today through Sunday. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management waive fees at most day-use recreation sites in honor of veterans and members of the armed forces.

Free meals for veterans – Many restaurants offer free meals or food items to military veterans and active-duty service members with valid military identification or proof of service. These include Applebee’s, Chili’s, Hooters, Krispy Kreme, Outback Steakhouse, Subway, Texas Roadhouse and others. Call for details.