Mason City Hosts 5th Annual Veteran Stand Down and Moving Wall This Weekend

MASON CITY — Veterans from North Iowa and beyond will gather here this weekend for the fifth annual Operation Golden Hawk Veteran Stand Down, an event organizers say connects veterans with a wide range of services under one roof.

The Stand Down will be held Saturday at the North Iowa Events Center, with doors opening at 8 a.m.

Angelyn Lander, with Operation Golden Hawk, said the event functions much like a resource fair for veterans.

“The Stand Down is officially like a resource fair,” Lander said. “We bring in everybody who says they help veterans and we put them in one place. So if a veteran has any needs, they can just get that need met.”

Services available at the event include housing assistance, food and clothing, employment help, healthcare and mental health providers, education resources, financial assistance and legal advice. Organizers have also planned bingo, music, raffles, haircuts and other activities, giving veterans a chance to spend time together in addition to accessing services.

This year’s Stand Down coincides with a visit from The Moving Wall, a half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The wall will be located just north of the North Iowa Events Center.

“It is a half-size Vietnam wall replica, just like the one that you would see out in Washington, D.C., but it’s actually here in Mason City,” Lander said. “It’s open to the public, there’s no admission charge.”

The Moving Wall will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Monday, with an opening ceremony scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday.

Lander said organizers are still seeking volunteers for the weekend.

“If you have time on Friday to come volunteer at the wall, or Saturday to come volunteer at the Stand Down, or Sunday to come volunteer at the wall, we need helpers,” she said.

Operation Golden Hawk is about $3,000 short of its budget for the event and is accepting donations. More information, including how to donate, is available at OperationGoldenHawk.com.

Organizers said veterans who would typically attend a Stand Down event in Des Moines have also been invited to Mason City after that event was canceled, which could increase turnout this weekend.