World Photo by Madeline Steege Students and faculty at Bunker Hill Elementary School and veterans celebrated Veterans Day a little early Thursday. They celebrated with a breakfast and a sing-a-long of patriotic songs from all branches of the military, along with old favorites including "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." More than 100 veterans and family members showed up for the tribute. Cub Scout Pack 1068 advanced the colors, which were then retired by the Boy Scouts.

The nation will honor veterans Tuesday, and here on the South Coast some organizations are planning events.

Coquille

A Veteran’s Day breakfast will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Coquille Elks Lodge. All veterans and friends and family members of veterans, are invited, and the breakfast is free. Participants do not have to be Elks. For more information, call 572-5234.

North Bend

 A breakfast will be held for veterans from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday at 1421 Airport Way in North Bend. Dinner will be held, beginning with a no host cocktail hour, at 5 p.m. at the Eagles Lodge, 568 S. Second St., in Coos Bay. The events are free for all veterans and their families, and are sponsored by Bay Area Post 34 American Legion and Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 538.

Music will be provided by Mike and Merle, and the guest speaker is Jim Willis, director of the Oregon Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

For more information, call 297-3236.

Bandon

In preparation for Veterans Day on Tuesday, the groundskeepers at all five of Bandon’s cemeteries are requesting help with the removal of all dead and artificial flowers from the gravesites. That way they can be mowed.

The Veterans Flag Project will place flags on graves.

“The veterans flags, which were donated by the family of deceased veterans, increased from 24 flags last Memorial Day at two of the cemeteries, to 51 in all five cemeteries,” said organizer Harry Stephens.

For more information or for families who have a flag that was presented in honor of a veteran that they would like to have flown on Veterans Day in Bandon, call 347-7235.