Virginia WWI and WWII Commemoration Commission

Commemorating 100 years since the end of World War I

and Honoring the Commonwealth's veterans

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Virginia World War I Memorial

Carillon Tower, Richmond

& Dogwood Dell Amphitheater

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On November 11, 2018, the Virginia WWI & WWII Commemoration Commission, the Virginia War Memorial, and the Virginia Department of Veterans Services honored Virginia's veterans at the Annual Commonwealth's Veterans Day Ceremony and commemorated the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I at the Carillon in Richmond, Virginia's state memorial to those who died in World War I.

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The ceremony featured a bell-tolling at 11:00 a.m.—part of a nationwide tolling of bells honoring the anniversary—followed by a presentation of the colors from the Virginia National Guard's WWI Doughboy Color Guard, music from the 392nd Army Band, student essay readings, and remarks from dignitaries, including Governor Ralph Northam, Speaker Kirk Cox, Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Carlos Hopkins, and Director of the Virginia War Memorial Clay Mountcastle.

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The afternoon Armistice Day Festival featured a presentation from President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson, played by Jim Gearhart and Betsy Ely from the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum in Wytheville. Following the presentation, Speaker Kirk Cox, Delegate Betsy Carr, and Department of Veterans Services Commissioner John L. Newby II presented awards to student finalists and winners in the WWI Armistice Art Contest. The contest, open to all elementary, middle, and high school students in Virginia, was held by the Commission in partnership with the Virginia War Memorial, and students' WWI-themed art submissions were on display inside the Carillon.

 

The afternoon also featured crafts and games, music from St. Andrew's Legion Pipe and Drums, a bell concert from carilloneur Larry Robinson, an antique car display, and food trucks. The Commission's Profiles of Honor Tour was open for visitors through the afternoon.

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Event Photos from the Virginia Department of Veterans Services

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ARMISTICE WEEKEND

Richmond Symphony Altria Masterworks Concert
November 10, 2018, 8 p.m.

& November 11, 2018, 3 p.m.
Brahms Requiem, Barber Adagio: Commemorating 
the Centennial of Armistice 1918
Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts
RichmondSymphony.com/Classics/Altria-Masterworks

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Bells of Peace Nationwide Bell-Tolling
November 11, 2018, 11 a.m. 
Details on the national effort from the
 U.S. World War One Centennial Commission 
at WorldWar1Centennial.org/Bells

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Armistice Student Art Contest
Open to all K-12 students in Virginia
Finalists’ artwork displayed at the Carillon on November 11

and afterward at the Virginia War Memorial
Details at VirginiaWorldWarI.org/ArmisticeArt

ARMISTICE DAY FESTIVAL AFTERNOON ACTIVITIES INCLUDE:
 

World War I Artifact Displays • Virginia WWI Memorials Information • Woodrow & Edith Bolling Wilson • The Profiles of Honor Mobile Museum • World War I Student Art Contest on Display • Antique Toy Display • WWI and WWII Photo and Document Scanning • 3-D WWI Artifact Scanning • Genealogical Research Programs • Arts and Crafts for Families • Period WWI outdoor games and activities • Food Trucks and vendors onsite and more!

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ARMISTICE DAY FESTIVAL PARTNERS INCLUDE:

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Carillon Civic Association • Department of Game and Inland Fisheries • Department of General Services • Department of Motor Vehicles • Department of Veteran Services • Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum • Genealogical Research Institute of Virginia • Dr. Lynn Rainville • Maymont • Richmond Discoveries • VCU's Virtual Curation Lab • Virginia Museum of Fine Arts • Virginia Tourism Corporation • Virginia Veterans Services Foundation • Virginia War Memorial • Virginia World War I & World War II Commemoration Commission

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