Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, and in Tualatin the most meaningful part of the observance comes a day early. The city and the local VFW Auxiliary hold a Veterans Recognition Breakfast on Tuesday, November 10. This guide covers that breakfast, the new memorial at Tualatin Commons, the larger ceremonies in Portland and Salem on the day itself, and a few practical ways to thank a veteran you know.
🍳 Tualatin’s Veterans Recognition Breakfast: Tuesday, November 10
The breakfast runs from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Juanita Pohl Center, 8513 S.W. Tualatin Road. It includes a catered breakfast, guest speakers, recognition of every branch of the military, and a raffle with prizes for veterans. Admission is free for veterans and $12 for everyone else. To register, call 503-691-3061.
One practical warning: the Valley Times reported on November 3 that only a handful of tickets were left, so if you want to go, call today. If the breakfast is full, ask the Juanita Pohl Center whether there is a waiting list, and consider one of the other ways to mark the day below.
The center’s supervisor described the event to the Valley Times as more than a breakfast, an opportunity for the community to come together, share stories and give thanks to the men and women who have served. Many of the same veterans return year after year, which is a good sign of what it means to them.
🏛️ Veterans Plaza at Tualatin Commons
Tualatin’s new Veterans Plaza sits on the east edge of Tualatin Commons, beside the lake. The design centers on a circular gathering area, stone landforms and a reflection pool, with a ring of semicircular benches facing the water, a flag and art elements around it. It was planned to work for ceremonies, for quiet moments and for everyday visits, and the city guided the design with eight months of community engagement.
The plaza also has an engraved brick program. Community members can order a customized brick honoring a veteran or military service member, or someone who has supported a veteran, and the city installs and maintains the bricks, with new ones added annually. Order forms are available at the Juanita Pohl Center. Ask there whether the program is currently taking orders, since the city has opened and closed it in windows. A brick is a lasting alternative to flowers, and a good gift for a family that wants a place to visit.
If you have not been to the Commons recently, our guide to the Tualatin Commons covers the lake, the amphitheater and the rest of the area.
🎖️ Wednesday, November 11: Ceremonies Nearby
Tualatin itself has no confirmed public ceremony on the 11th that we could find, so here are the larger events within reach. Check each organizer before you go, as plans can change.
- Portland Veterans Day Parade. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Northeast MLK and Beech and ends at MLK and Emerson. A closing ceremony and a vendor and resources fair follow immediately in the Walnut Park complex parking lot, 5305 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
- Oregon Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony. The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs holds its ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Oregon State Capitol State Park on Court Street Northeast in Salem, directly across from the front entrance of the Capitol. It includes remarks, a color guard, the national anthem, a wreath laying and the playing of “Taps.” It is open to the public with uncovered seating, so dress for the weather.
- Smaller local observances. The Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs keeps a statewide Veterans Day calendar of community events, and you can search it by region.
📜 A Quick Veterans Day Refresher
The day began as Armistice Day, first proclaimed by President Wilson for November 11, 1919, to mark the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor veterans of all wars. For a few years the observance moved to create long weekends, but by 1978 it was restored to November 11. The apostrophe question has an official answer too: it is Veterans Day, without an apostrophe, because it is a day for honoring all veterans rather than one that belongs to them.
The VA also draws a useful line between the two days people mix up. Memorial Day remembers those who died in service. Veterans Day is for thanking all who served, living veterans above all. Red poppies are traditionally worn on Memorial Day, not Veterans Day, so for November the better gesture is to say thank you to someone who is here to hear it.
💐 Saying Thank You With Flowers
Because Veterans Day is about the living, our favorite flowers for it go to a veteran at home, rather than to a grave. A few ideas:
- Send a thank-you arrangement. A veteran in your family, a neighbor, a coworker or the person who coaches your kid’s team often hears little on this day. A simple bouquet with a short note that names what they did and says thank you means a lot. Our thank-you flowers page has ideas for Tualatin and Sherwood.
- Choose red, white and blue, or skip it. A patriotic palette is easy to do with red roses or carnations, white lilies or daisies and blue delphinium or hydrangea. A mixed bouquet in the veteran’s favorite colors is just as good.
- Think about a plant. A living plant is a gift that stays through the winter and can sit by the window of someone who does not like cut flowers.
- Remember military families. The plaza’s brick program honors people who support a veteran as well, and the same goes for flowers: a spouse or caregiver deserves a thank-you too.
- Add a handwritten card. Say what you appreciate in a sentence or two. It is the part people keep.
If your plan is to visit a grave, our guide to cemetery flowers for veterans in Tualatin and the south metro covers what to bring, and check the cemetery’s own rules first. If you are choosing flowers for a service, see our post on sending sympathy flowers in the Tualatin area.
We deliver to Tualatin, Sherwood and the surrounding area seven days a week, including Wednesday, November 11. If you cannot be with a veteran in person, flowers can arrive in your place.
❓ Quick Questions
When is Veterans Day 2026?
Wednesday, November 11, 2026. It is always observed on November 11.
When is Tualatin’s Veterans Recognition Breakfast?
Tuesday, November 10, 2026, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Juanita Pohl Center. Veterans are free and others pay $12. Call 503-691-3061 to register.
Where is Tualatin’s veterans memorial?
Veterans Plaza, on the east edge of Tualatin Commons beside the lake.
Is it Veterans Day or Veteran’s Day?
Veterans Day, with no apostrophe, per the VA.
Is Veterans Day the same as Memorial Day?
No. Memorial Day remembers those who died in service, and Veterans Day thanks all who served, especially the living.