BENTON HARBOR — The Southshore Concert Band will join Lest We Forget in saluting veterans of all conflicts in their annual Veterans Day patriotic concert.

The concert will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center in Benton Harbor.

This will be the 13th Veterans Day concert sponsored by Lest We Forget and the Southshore Concert Band led by Dale Reuss. The 80 members of the Southshore Band will be featuring traditional patriotic songs and salutes for the branches of the service.

The theme for the concert is “Making the World Safe For Democracy – Music From World War I.” 

The First World War, sometimes called the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from July 28, 1914 to Nov. 11, 1918. Contemporaneously described as the “war to end all wars,” it led to the mobilization of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. An estimated 9 million combatants and 7 million civilians died as a direct result of the war.

As people across the nation remember this year’s 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, “Making the World Safe for Democracy” will be a program designed to musically assert the American ideals of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” through the performance by the Southshore Concert Band, including instrumental, vocal and visual selections. The men and women who have sacrificed to protect and defend those American ideals as members of the United States military forces will be remembered and honored throughout the program.

Prior to the 2018 concert, LWF will honor all veterans by taking their photo. They will receive a free copy following the event. This photo opportunity will start at 1 p.m. and continue until 1:45 p.m. During the concert, a tribute will be paid to the Lest We Forget members who have passed on. There will be a showing of these tribute photographs while “The Mansions of the Lord” is sung by Jeffery Whittaker. The program will include a salute to each branch of the armed services and a “Tribute to Missing Comrades.” 

Tickets are available at Stevensville and St. Joseph Martin’s Supermarkets or from LWF members and at the door for $10. Advance tickets from Lake Michigan College Mendel Center Box Office (269) 927-8700, option 1 or the website TheMendelCenter.com are $12. Children 17 and under will be admitted for free.

There will be a large map of Vietnam and Vietnam veterans will be able to sign their signature in the place they served. A display of WWI helmets, uniforms and other memorabilia from the Robert Dunn collection will be on display in the lobby. There will be an opportunity at the concert to purchase Lest We Forget shirts, books, American flags and DVDs. For more information call Lest We Forget at (269) 429-2098 or go to LestWeForgetUSA.com.