Veterans Day will be celebrated over two days this year since Nov. 11 falls on a Sunday.

The county courthouse and most local, state and federal government buildings and services will be closed Monday in observance of Veterans Day.

Secretary of State offices in Suttons Bay and Traverse City, as well as Family Independent Agency offices and most state government buildings, will also be closed on Monday.

There will also be no mail delivery Monday, and all U.S. postal centers will be closed.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 7731 based in Lake Leelanau will host the annual observance in honor of all who have fought for the country in wars. Event organizer Richard Schmuckal said the ceremony will start at 11 a.m. Monday on the steps of the county courthouse in Leland. Also participating will be members of the Maple City and Eagletown American Legion posts. Bugler James Cox will perform Taps as part of the ceremony, and the keynote speaker will be Lt. Mark Schaub of Lake Leelanau, who recently returned after a tour of duty in Iraq as an officer with the Army’s Military Police.

The Grand Traverse Area Veterans Coalition will host a Veterans Day ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park, located at Grandview Parkway and Bay Street in Traverse City. A color guard from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station in Traverse City will present flag honors, followed by rifle salute and a performance of Taps by a bugler. The event is being held under the auspices of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2780 of Traverse City.

A public reception and program, and remarks by Traverse City Mayor Linda Smyka and a recently returned Iraq War veteran, will follow the ceremony. The reception will be hosted by the Elks Lodge No. 323, which is located across the street from the park.

The Veterans for Peace Chapter 50 will honor those from Michigan who have fallen in the Iraq War by planting 145 crosses at the Open Space in Traverse City. The display will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Each cross will include a picture and hometown of the person who is memorialized, as well as the date and location of the death. The display is also intended to honor all who have sacrificed their lives while serving during the war.

The Leelanau Community Cultural Center will host a Veterans Day observance on Monday at 10 a.m. in the Old Art Building in Leland. The Mill Street Sisters, consisting of Joan Post Brown, Mary Kay Davis and Judie Leece, will perform World War II-era songs such as Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree with Anyone Else But Me as part of the observance. They will be accompanied by Becky Nies-Joliffe. The theme of this year’s observance is “World War II on the Home Front.” Mary Ellen Hadjisky has taken stories and from the Leelanau Enterprise during the WW II years about life at home and created a display. Coffee and donuts will be served.

At 1 p.m. on Monday, Northport Public School will host a Veterans Day observance in the Northport Community Arts Center auditorium. Fred Atkinson, the keynote speaker, served as a bomber pilot in the European Theater during WWII. He was shot down and was a prisoner of war as well. He will talk about his wartime experiences.

George Anderson, lead organizer for the Northport event, said the program is designed to educate children about veterans.

“The whole idea is to impress upon our school children the role veterans played in developing our county. It’s not just about the sacrifices veterans made, but about the sacrifices everyone who lived during those times made,” he said. Gil Deibel will introduce Atkinson, and the observance will be concluded by Northport School superintendent Tyrus Wessell. The event is open to the public.

Finally, U.S. military veterans, current members of the Armed Forces and their families are invited to enjoy the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore free of charge on Sunday. The fee-waiver applies to most activities within the park, such as the popular Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, but not for camping.