Veterans, community members recognize Veterans Day

Senator Tom Saviello leads the Pledge of Allegiance at the Walmart Veteran’s Day event.

A crowd gathered at Walmart on Monday to honor veterans. (Photo by Scott Landry)

Peter Zanoni, a cashier at the Mexico Walmart, started the event 15 years ago. (Photo by Scott Landry)

The Franklin County Fiddlers provided live music for the event. (Photo by Scott Landry)

FARMINGTON – For the 15th year Walmart hosted an event celebrating veterans, including song, speech and the Folding of the Flag. More than 50 people filled the aisles to honor the sacrifice of those that serve. The event included live music by the Franklin County Fiddlers in addition to the National Anthem sung by Katie Smith. Smith is a Customer Service Manager at Walmart and has been singing the anthem for the event for the last ten years.

Walmart currently employs 10 veterans and has been honored to host the annual Veteran’s Day event, Manager Greg Patterson said.

“It’s a big honor to have it here, and it gets bigger every year,” he said.

The event was started by former cashier Peter Zanoni who has since moved to Mexico. He has been employed by Walmart for 27 years.

“I just wanted to honor the men and women who are so brave as to face the line of duty,” Zanoni said.

Francis Paling, a World War II veteran, lays a wreath in front of the Farmington Honor Roll in Meetinghouse Park.

FARMINGTON – As towns across the state recognized the sacrifices of veterans Monday morning, roughly 50 people gathered around the World War I monument, a stone arch in a traffic triangle on Main Street.

Members of Roderick-Crosby American Legion Post 28 put on the annual gathering in Farmington. As always, it began at 11 a.m.: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Veterans Day coincides with the anniversary of the World War I armistice of November 1918. On Monday, the crowd was welcomed by Pete Tracy of Post 28, remarks were made by Chaplain Langdon Adams and Rep. Russell Black and bugler Paul Harnden played Taps prior to a wreath laying by veteran Jimmy Bouffard.

More wreaths were laid at nearby Meetinghouse Park. One of the post’s few remaining World War 2 veterans, Francis Paling, placed his wreath in front of the Farmington Honor Roll memorial. Afterward, Tracy said it was important to remember the sacrifices of Paling’s generation.

“His whole generation, they basically saved the world,” Tracy said. “And I think that’s pretty great.”

The Post 28 veterans and their supporters then headed for the Legion Hall on High Street, where a hot lunch waited.