Belleville, the first municipality in Essex County and the seventh statewide to be officially designated as a Purple Heart Community, plans two events to commemorate Veterans Day.
First, Mayor Michael Melham and Township Council host the Belleville Veterans Day 5K Run/Walk on Sunday, Nov. 13. Dedicated to the brave men and women from Belleville who have served the country, the race raises money for a scholarship fund that benefits a Belleville High School senior. It also benefits local veteran organizations, as well as offset costs for the day’s events.
The race steps off at 9 a.m., and is followed by the annual Belleville Veterans Day Parade at noon. Dozens of clubs, organization, civic groups and sports teams from across the township take part in the parade, complete with floats, music, military vehicles and plenty of grateful residents.
Those who wish to attend should meet at the Veterans Memorial, 482-492 Union Ave. Lineup for the Parade will be at the corner of Holmes Street and Union Avenue.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.