Veterans Auditorium to mark 50th anniversary

    HARLAN – Harlan’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium will host an open house Saturday, Nov. 12 in honor of the 50-year anniversary of the building.
    The building will be open to the public from 5-7 p.m., with a special performance by the Polka Police during that time.  Shelby County residents are urged to come out and pay tribute to a building that has hosted everything from weddings, auctions and fundraisers to banquets, veterans programs and business meetings since it opened back in November, 1966.
    The vet’s building has been dubbed one of Harlan’s crown jewels, something that makes Harlan unique as well as providing a fitting memorial to dedicated veterans.  According to Harlan Newspapers archives, shortly after the end of World War II, a petition with 373 signatures was presented to the Harlan City Council requesting the construction of the building as a memorial to local servicemen who gave their lives in the war.