Veterans in Biddeford and Saco will be honored in an online ceremony at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here, veterans chat during the cities’ Veterans Day parade in 2019. Tammy Wells Photo

Veterans Day, Nov 11, will be observed in Biddeford and Saco with a special online tribute, set to air at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Organizers in both communities are collaborating on ceremonies to acknowledge the sacrifices of the men and women who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces of the United States.

The ceremonies will be offered online — just as they were on Memorial Day — due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Delilah Poupore of Heart of Biddeford said the virtual ceremony will feature a video of musical selections from students, a talk by guest speaker Kim LaPointe, and welcomes by Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant and Saco Mayor William Doyle. As well,  ceremonial flag raisings by veterans’ organizations will honor those who served, and those who still serve.

Lapointe, a Navy veteran who lives and works in Biddeford, will discuss her family’s commitment to service. Lapointe hails from a family of veterans — two of whom survived Japanese prisoner of war camps, said Poupore.

As well, those who wish to offer thanks and appreciation to veterans can submit short 10 to 15 second video clips, through Nov. 6, to: director@heartofbiddeford.org.

Poupore is collaborating with Andrew Dickinson, communications coordinator for the City of Saco, to make sure the two cities honor veterans. Dickinson is filming the video.

“We’re all looking for ways to be connected, even if we have to remain physically distant,” said Dickinson. “This virtual ceremony is one way that the cities of Saco and Biddeford are showing our communities that we are still here for them.”

The ceremony will air live at 11 a.m. on Veterans Day at the Heart of Biddeford and City of Saco Government Facebook pages. Afterward, the video of the event will be uploaded to the City of Saco’s YouTube page with links to it from the two cities’ and HOB websites, said Poupore.

“We’d love to get together in person, but for now we hope the virtual ceremony brings community members a sense of togetherness while we honor our veterans,” said Dickinson.