Veterans Day will be celebrated in Lincoln Wednesday with a walk and a program.

The 11th annual Veterans Day Walk of Recognition will begin at 9 a.m. on the west side of Memorial Stadium and end three miles later at Veterans Memorial Garden in Antelope Park.

The walk is open to anyone - you can join anywhere along the route - with a special invitation to veterans, family and friends of veterans, and active duty personnel.

The walk route: North 10th Street to O Street; O Street to Centennial Mall; Centennial Mall to K Street; K Street to Capitol Parkway; Capitol Parkway to Antelope Park.

The Veterans Day ceremony begins at 11 a.m. in the Auld Recreation Center in Antelope Park.

Keynote speaker will be Terry Heers, a Navy and Army veteran who will talk about the first trans-polar crossing by a submarine - the USS Nautilus - in 1958.

Heers, who entered the U.S. Navy in 1959, served on three amphibious fleet ships out of San Diego with two deployments to the Far East. During those deployments, the ships carried underwater demolition teams and Marines in the Formosa Straits and the Tonkin Gulf.

After submarine training, Heers was assigned to a ballistic missile submarine out of Holy Loch Scotland and made six deterrent patrols. In 1969, he was appointed a warrant officer in the U.S. Army and assigned to a unit towing ammunition and aviation fuel to remote locations in the Delta and Parrot's Beak area of Vietnam.

The ceremony will begin with the ringing of Lincoln's full-size replica of the Liberty Bell.

Other area Veterans Day events include:

Savannah Pines

Savannah Pines will honor all local veterans during a special tribute set to begin today at 2 p.m.

The ceremony will include recognition of veterans, band music and Red Cross, Salvation Army and USO acknowledgement. In addition, a prayer will be read for those who gave their lives and those who are serving around the world today.

A reception and social hour will follow at the independent living retirement community at 3900 Pine Lake Road.

The public is encouraged to attend the program.

Military eat free at Applebee's

U.S. veterans and active duty military personnel can eat free at Applebee's restaurants on Veterans Day.

All you have to do is show proof of U.S. military service and choose from one of several complimentary entrees and sides.

"It's an honor to host an event that helps the neighborhood come together and say 'thanks' to our veterans and active servicemen and women," said Maggie Stine, president of Concord Applebee's.

For details, visit an Applebee's restaurant or go to www.applebees.com.

Gold Star presentation

CRETE - Nebraska's Adjutant General Judd Lyons will present a gold star to the family of a fallen soldier at Doane College's Veterans Day observance Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Heckman Auditorium on the Crete campus.

Sgt. Michael P. Scusa was two days short of his 23rd birthday when he was killed Oct. 3 in Afghanistan. Scusa was born in Lincoln and lived in Crete until 1999. He joined the Army after graduation and served 15 months in Iraq. He was deployed for a second time in May of 2009 to Afghanistan.

His family includes his father, Crete Police Officer George Scusa, his wife, infant son, mother, step-mother, sisters and brothers.

Brig. Gen. Lyons will present the gold star - given to family members of soldiers killed in combat - to Scusa's family.

The ceremony will include patriotic music by Doane's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, directed by Jay W. Gilbert, as well as a reading of "In Flanders Fields" by Roy Scheele, associate professor of English.

The event is free and open to the public.

Sterling school program

STERLING - On Wednesday, the Sterling Public School will host a Veterans Day program to honor Sterling's local American Legion, military and auxiliary members. The program will be held in the high school gym, with refreshments at 9 a.m. and a program beginning at 9:45. The public is invited to attend.

Guest speaker will be U.S. Navy Cmdr. Joel A. Merriman, Navy emergency preparedness officer for Nebraska.

Community members are invited to bring military memorabilia items they would like to display. Items should be labeled and taken to the school prior to Wednesday's program.

Manley concert

MANLEY - The Lofte Community Theatre will hold a free Veterans Day concert today at 2 p.m.

Performing will be the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band's "New Horizons." The clarinet ensemble features five of the squadron's clarinet players. The group's repertoire consists of classical, jazz and standard clarinet ensemble literature.

The concert is free and open to the public; no advance reservations are required.

Limited concessions will be available. For questions or directions, visit the Lofte's Web site, www.Lofte.com, or call the box office at (402) 234-2553.

Syracuse 'parade'

SYRACUSE - A Parade of Veterans is planned today through next Sunday at the Fair Center on Plum Street.

Photographs of local veterans will be displayed, as well as uniforms, equipment, letters and other mementos from the veterans' time in service to the present day. New this year will be two tabletop displays of the Civil War and the Korean War. A makeshift torpedo also will be on display.

The National Guard will have items on display, and Vietnam veterans will be honored.

"It's a special way we came up with a few years back to honor our local veterans," said Barb Wilhelm of American Legion Post No. 100 Auxiliary. "Last year we topped the 500 visitors mark. Local schools try to bring their students for a field trip. There are displays on flag folding and flag etiquette. We have had old friends reconnect and sometimes it's the perfect time for veterans to talk about that time in their life, often sharing stories they've never told anyone before."

Hours for the event are: today and next Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.