The VE Day 80th Anniversary events in the Watford area
Let's unite in remembrance, celebration, and community spirit as we mark 80 years since Victory in Europe Day. (Image: Watford Council)
The commemorations in Watford on Thursday, May 8 begin with a Flag Raising Ceremony at 9.30am at the Peace Memorial outside Watford Town Hall.
The ceremony will include the reading of The Proclamation, the raising of the VE Day 80 flag, and participation from local schoolchildren.
That evening, at 9pm, Watford Museum will host a Beacon Lighting Ceremony, featuring readings of The Proclamation and The Tribute, a choral performance by the North London Military Wives Choir, and the singing of 'I Vow to Thee My Country', concluding with the beacon lighting as a symbol of peace and unity.
Singers during D-Day celebrations last year. (Image: Watford Council)
In Rickmansworth, the May 8 commemorations begin at 3pm with a relaxing VE Day Tea & Cakes afternoon hosted by Batchworth Community Council at the Royal British Legion Club, in Ebury Road.
Later, at 6.30pm, the bells of St Mary's Church will ring out in honour of peace and remembrance.
The evening festivities include a 1940's Swing Night from 8pm to 11.30pm at the Royal British Legion Club, featuring the band Burnt Rubber and classic hits from Frank Sinatra, Vera Lynn, Buddy Holly, and Elvis.
Simultaneously, at 8.15pm, an evening celebration will be held at St Mary's Church Centre, with light refreshments, a performance by Phoenix Morris, and a historical display titled 'What the Nation Ate During WW2' presented by Three Rivers Museum and the Rickmansworth Historical Society.
At 9.30pm, the community will gather by the War Memorial for The Nation's Tribute, where Deputy Lord-Lieutenant Patrick Moriarty DL will light a beacon, followed by group singing of 'I Vow to Thee My Country' in a powerful moment of national reflection.
Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire Robert Voss with cadets at a D-Day remembrance event with in 2024. (Image: Watford Council)
Celebrations continue on Saturday, May 10 in Croxley Green, where the parish council will host a WW2 & 1940s Picnic on The Green from 12 noon to 5pm.
The event will include live wartime music and performances, 1940s-style dancing, themed family activities, and a range of food stalls and refreshments.
Those attending are encouraged to bring their own picnic and blanket to enjoy the day in true vintage style.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
When's the first day of school? Here's the breakdown for the Fort Collins area for 2025-26
The final days of summer vacation are winding down for students of all ages and school staff throughout Northern Colorado. Whether you're a 5-year-old starting kindergarten or a 45-year-old pursuing a graduate degree, the first day of school is just around the corner. Here's a look at when classes for the 2025-26 school year are scheduled to begin at schools in and around Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and the surrounding area: K-12 public school districts Poudre School District: Aug. 14 (sixth and ninth graders begin Aug. 13 with transition day) Thompson School District: Aug. 14 (kindergarteners, sixth and ninth graders begin Aug. 13 with transition day) Weld RE-4 (Windsor-Severance) School District: Aug. 14 (kindergarteners, sixth and ninth graders begin Aug. 13 with transition day) Other K-12 schools American Legacy Academy: Aug. 20 (half-day kindergarteners start Aug. 19) Ascent Classical Academy of Northern Colorado: Aug. 25 AXIS International Academy: Aug. 13 (kindergartners start Aug. 12) Colorado Early Colleges-Fort Collins: Aug. 8 (sixth and ninth graders and new students start Aug. 7) Colorado Early Colleges-Windsor: Aug. 11 (sixth graders and new students start Aug. 8) Compass Community Collaborative School: Aug. 14 (new students start Aug. 13) Fort Collins Montessori School: Aug. 14 Heritage Christian Academy: Aug. 18 Liberty Common: Aug. 25 Loveland Classical Schools: Aug. 26 Mountain Sage Community School: Aug. 13 (kindergartners start Aug. 14) New Vision Charter School: Aug. 14 Resurrection Christian School: Aug. 25 Ridgeview Classical Schools: Aug. 19 for kindergartners and high school, Aug. 20 grades 1-8 St. Joseph Catholic School: Aug. 25 Windsor Charter Academy: Aug. 14 (kindergartners, sixth and ninth graders start Aug. 13) Community colleges Aims Community College: Aug. 25 Front Range Community College: Aug. 18 Universities Colorado State University: Aug. 25 University of Colorado-Boulder: Aug. 21 University of Northern Colorado: Aug. 25 Reporter Kelly Lyell covers education, breaking news, some sports and other topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@ and This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: When's the first day of school? Here's when PSD, CSU and others start Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
The Easiest Way to Clean Wooden Cutting Boards with What's Already in Your Pantry, According to Chefs
I recently invested in an expensive wood cutting board. It was worth every penny and, as much as I want to use it every day, I also want to keep it in tip-top shape for years to come. To find the best way to clean and maintain my new, ultra-luxe wooden cutting board, I reached out to a handful of chef friends and cleaning experts for their advice. Because, if there are two things that chefs take incredible care of, it's their knives and cutting boards. Turns out, they all echoed the same advice for wood board care! These are the best editor-tested, chef-approved ways to clean and sanitize your favorite wooden cutting board, plus easy tricks to do to keep them at peak performance — and what to avoid at all costs. The 8 Best (and Easiest!) Ways to Clean Wooden Cutting Boards, According to Pros 1. Scrub with lemon and salt. As it turns out, one of the best ways to clean your wooden chopping block is with a few things every home cook probably already has: a lemon and coarse salt. Sprinkle salt on your board, then scour the surface with half a lemon cut-side down (pre-squeezed is fine!). Let it sit for five minutes, then scrape away the dirty gray liquid that's leftover with a rag or bench scraper. When you're done, give it a final rinse with a clean wet sponge. 2. Keep it simple with dish soap. While you shouldn't submerge your board for hours in a water bath, a little soapy water at the end of the day is necessary for cleaning this hardworking tool. 'Personally, I like using Dawn,' says Jordan Ware, the chef de cuisine at Hen of the Wood in Vermont (he also crafts bespoke boards under the name Original Provisions). 'Other brands can leave lingering scents, which get into the food.' After drying it with a towel, Eamon Lee, former executive chef at Syracuse University, suggests letting the board sit out overnight to dry completely before storing it in a cupboard. Dawn Platinum Dishwashing Liquid Amazon $6 Buy Now 3. Create a kosher salt crust. Charlie Palmer, a James Beard Award-winning chef and hotel developer, finds this salt method so useful, he employs it in all of his Charlie Palmer Steak restaurants. After a quick soapy wash, he coats his board with kosher salt then lets it sit for an hour. 'This draws out moisture,' he explains. And not just moisture: 'The salt absorbs all the bad smells,' says Lachlan Archibald, head chef at The Kitchin in Edinburgh, Scotland. Once the hour is up, use a bench scraper to flake off the salt (more on that below). Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt Amazon $10 Buy Now 4. Reach for a bench scraper. Bench scrapers are ubiquitous in restaurant kitchens — but they're not regularly found in home cooks' utensil drawers. It pays to invest in one, though, because they're incredibly useful for cleaning wooden cutting boards, as well as plenty of other surfaces. Palmer uses one to scrape off his kosher salt cure, and it's also helpful when it comes to loosening any crusted-on food bits, like melted cheese. This tip was echoed by many of the chefs, including Matt Carrell, owner of Woodland Baking in Vermont. Carrell finds a metal bench scraper to be especially helpful at cleaning crusty flour from wooden boards and butcher blocks. 'It also does an excellent job at dividing butter,' he notes. OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Scraper & Chopper Amazon $12 Buy Now 5. Mix lemon and baking soda. Thanks to their acidity, lemons make for a pretty good all-natural cleaner. If you don't have any coarse salt lying around, reach for baking soda, another incredible cleaner. While it won't disinfect it, sprinkling baking soda on your cutting board and then covering it with lemon juice and scrubbing with a lemon can be considered a 'spa treatment' for stains and odors, says Jessica Ek of The American Cleaning Institute. Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda, 1 lb. Amazon $1 (was $2) Buy Now 6. Create a baking soda paste. A water and baking soda paste can easily remove odors and stains from both wooden and plastic cutting boards. With one part water to three parts baking soda, stir the paste together, then scrub it into the board to absorb any lingering smells or leftover traces of food. Rinse it off, and it's like you never used it to chop garlic or anchovies — in less than a minute! 7. Sanitize with bleach (if you must!). If you're especially worried about bacteria seeping into your wooden cutting board, Lee uses a simple-but-effective solution: 'One tablespoon of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water. Soak a cloth in the solution and wipe the board generously on all sides. Let stand for one minute, rinse with running water, and pat dry.' (Here's everything you need to know about cleaning with bleach in the kitchen.) Clorox Splash-Less Bleach Amazon $3 Buy Now 8. Break out the sander. Need to do major damage control? It may be time for an electric sander. In fact, some professional chefs consider this to be regular maintenance. Archibald at The Kitchin does this twice a year to keep his boards in shipshape. An orbital sander, which uses a circular motion, is preferred for its powerful ability to lift materials from the surface. You may find this purchase more useful than you originally thought — this cast-iron maker also uses it to repair rusty pans. As with all power tools, take adequate safety precautions, including wearing protective eyewear, when using. HYCHIKA 5-Inch Random Orbital Sander Amazon $34 Buy Now 3 Other Tips for Making Your Wooden Cutting Board Last Avoid prolonged exposure to moisture. Raw poultry on a wooden cutting board is not a good idea, but that's not the only bacterial red flag. Soaking boards or letting them stay wet for too long can cause problems, too. 'Don't let your boards stay wet,' Ware warns. 'Moisture and temperature changes are really bad for wood, in terms of bacterial growth.' Oil it regularly. Oiling wooden work surfaces — and kitchen tools like wooden spoons — is non-negotiable for long-term care. 'This will help with knife cuts and dryness, which will keep your boards around for a long time,' Carrell explains. It also provides a protective sealant layer to keep the porous wood from soaking up bacteria and funky smells. John Boos Block Board Cream Amazon $22 Buy Now Don't go overboard, though: Ware gives his boards a proper rubdown every couple of months. He recommends a mineral oil, or blended beeswax product that gives off a pretty luster when buffed. (Psst: The Kitchn tested a variety of board oils and picked a must-try favorite.) TOPINSTOCK Rubber Feet for Cutting Board, 12 Pieces Amazon $12 Buy Now Add rubber feet. Ware always adds rubber feet to the bottom of his custom-made boards. Not only does it stop them from sliding around on the counter, but it also encourages proper airflow around the entire board. 'That helps it dry evenly,' he explains. 'Putting a piece of wet wood directly on your counter will just make it warp.' How do you care for your favorite wood cutting boards? Tell us in the comments below! Further Reading We Used Our New 'Room Plan' Tool to Give This Living Room 3 Distinct Styles — See How, Then Try It Yourself The Design Changemakers to Know in 2025 Create Your Own 3D Room Plan with Our New Tool
New York Post
6 days ago
- New York Post
Small plane tumbles into ocean but pilot's quick thinking averts disaster: ‘The engine just stopped'
His training saved the day. A quick-thinking pilot's training kicked in when his single-engine plane lost power over a popular North Carolina beach — prompting a dramatic caught-on-video crash landing in the surf. 'At some point the engine started to lose power,' pilot Mark Finkelstein told WRAL-TV News following the watery Saturday evening landing off the shore of Oak Island. 'At a certain point the engine just stopped all together and the propeller just stopped. Advertisement 3 Pilot Mark Finkelstein was out for a quick flight, but 13 minutes later had to crash land in the water. Facebook/Mark Finkelstein 'And at that point it was very clear that I was supposed to be making a landing in the water,' he told the outlet. 'I was focused on the training and what I needed to do… I just focused on what I needed to do.' The small plane, a Jabiru J230-D, was only in the air for 13 minutes after taking off from nearby Cape Fear for a scheduled short flight over the popular beach before things went wrong around 7:30 p.m., according to a report by WNCN-TV News. Advertisement Footage shows the small plane splashing down in the water as bystanders look on from the beach. Rescuers quickly converge on the damaged plane and are seen plucking Finkelstein to safety, according to the footage. He told WRAL that he miraculously only suffered a cut to his leg, and no one on the ground was hurt. 3 The single-engine plane lost power and was forced to crash land off Oak Island in North Carolina on Saturday. Facebook/Tim Prince 3 Pilot Mark Finkelstein said he was fortunate to land without injury and to be rescued so quickly after the crash. Kevin Loflin via WRAL Advertisement 'I feel very, very fortunate,' the shaken but unharmed pilot said. 'When I see the damage to the plane and to think that there was virtually no damage to me. 'I was so fortunate that the impact didn't injure me, and double fortunate that the Oak Island water rescue folks got to me so quickly. I mean, that was huge. That was the key to the whole thing.'
