Veterans Day event at Fairgrounds will focus on Vietnam

More than 7,000 are expected to attend the third annual Veterans Day celebration at the Orange County Fairgrounds on Wednesday.

The free event, sponsored and organized by area labor unions, will include services for veterans, a donation drive, children’s games, live music and military vehicles and equipment on display. Attendees will also be able to write thank-you cards for veterans.

Free hot dogs, chips and water will be served. Veterans can get free beer.

Acceptable items for the donation drive are canned foods, gift cards to buy food, baby items and household supplies such as toothpaste, soap and shampoo. Last year’s drive gathered more than four tons of supplies.

It begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m.

This year’s Veterans Day event has a special focus on the Vietnam War. At 2 p.m., the U.S. Postal Service will host its West Coast unveiling of a new stamp commemorating the war’s 50th anniversary.

“This seminal conflict and its impact on our community should be contemplated,” said Gus Castellanos, communications director with the Orange County Employees Assn., one of the event’s organizers. “The vibrant and growing Vietnamese-American community in Southern California is a direct result of the war.”

For more information about the event, visit veteransandlabor.com/specialevent. The fairgrounds are at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa.

The Veterans Day festivities also include a motorcycle run that begins at the Orange County Labor Federation’s headquarters, 309 N. Rampart St. in Orange and ends at the fairgrounds.

For more information on the run, contact Gilbert Castillo at [email protected].