The Village of Scarsdale will hold a Veterans Day ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, at Boniface Circle Park in the village center.

The program includes a flag raising, wreath laying and remarks honoring U.S. military veterans, according to a notice from the Village Manager's Office.

Local officials, veterans, scouts and community members are expected to take part. If weather turns bad, the ceremony moves indoors to Village Hall.

The event is free and open to all residents.

The village announcement did not name specific speakers for the ceremony. Residents with questions can contact the Village Manager's Office at 914-722-1110.

A memorial site since 1943

Boniface Circle has served as Scarsdale's central memorial site for more than 80 years. In December 1942, the village board voted to create a Community Honor Roll listing the names of residents serving in the armed forces, according to village records.

The honor roll, which originally listed about 1,100 names, was placed in Boniface Circle and dedicated on July 4, 1943. Scarsdale American Legion Post 52 donated a flagpole and flag to stand alongside it.

After the war, residents pushed for a more permanent monument. Planning began in June 1947, and the Scarsdale War Memorial Fund raised money over the next two years.

The monument was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 30, 1949, following a parade led by retired Maj. Gen. William H. Draper Jr., a longtime Scarsdale resident and former village trustee who served as grand marshal.

That World War II monument remains the only war memorial in Scarsdale outside the American Legion Post 52 Memorial Garden on Mamaroneck Road.

The garden, conceived by Legion members and built in partnership with the village, features a winding path with individual monuments depicting each American war experience. It includes what village records describe as the first 9/11 monument in New York State.

The Legion's Memorial Garden holds annual events on Veterans Day and Flag Day, according to the Voices Center for Resilience, a nonprofit that documents living memorials.

Upcoming community events

  • Nov. 1: Memorial for Marian Green at Scarsdale Public Library
  • Nov. 11: Veterans Day ceremony, 10:30 a.m., Boniface Circle Park (Village Hall if rain)