The City of Mentor will host a Veterans Day ceremony at 11:11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, to honor the men and women who have served our country in the military.
Originally known as Armistice Day, the observance was first held on November 11, 1919, marking the first anniversary of the end of World War I and honoring the heroism of those who died in the country’s service.
In 1954, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a national holiday honoring all veterans.
As part of the America 250 celebration, a monument honoring Revolutionary War veterans who settled in Mentor, or who are interred there, will be dedicated during the ceremony.
Revolutionary War historian and collector Todd Brighton will serve as keynote speaker.
The Wyandotte, Michigan, native earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree as a Wolcott Fellow at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He began his federal career as a Presidential Management Fellow and spent most of his 35 years in public service as a senior policy advisor with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Brighton’s fourth-great-grandfather, Garrit Brass, served in the Revolutionary War from 1781 to 1783 with the Massachusetts Militia and the 1st Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Line. Brass moved his family to Mentor Township in 1812 and is interred in the Mentor Municipal Cemetery.
A new Veteran Niche Wall Memorial will also be dedicated immediately following the ceremony. The columbarium is reserved for veterans and their spouses.
The ceremony will be held at the Mentor Municipal Cemetery memorial promenade, 6881 Hopkins Road. If weather is a factor, the event will be moved to the Mentor Senior Center, 8484 Munson Road.
All are welcome to attend. Veteran groups are warmly invited to participate. For details, contact the Mentor Recreation Coordinator Kevin Cindric at (440) 974-5720 or [email protected].
The ceremony will be recorded and aired later on the Mentor Channel for those unable to attend.