First Posted: 6/10/2014

Over the last several years, historian and photographer Kenny Ganz has amassed a vast collection of memorabilia related to World War II as a means to honor veterans on the home and front lines.

Everything Natural co-owner, Barry Kaplan invited Ganz, a Steamtown National Park historian, to display his memorabilia as part of the Downtown-Go-Around on Friday.

“We want to honor the veterans and we thought of Kenny,” Kaplan said. “He has a phenomenal depth of knowledge and we thought it would be so appropriate and especially interesting to host him. He will have artifacts displayed here as we reflect on the 70th anniversary of D-Day.”

A meet and greet from 6 to 9 p.m. at Everything Natural, 426 S. State St., Clarks Summit will allow the community to meet and greet Ganz.

Local veterans like Clarks Summit resident Shirley Holmes, who according to Kaplan is “one of the few female WWII veterans in NEPA and the only female belonging to the Clarks Summit VFW Post” along with Steuart Bailey from the VFW and Lackawanna County Office of Veterans Affairs and Warren Watkins are expected to attend the event as well.

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“It’s so easy to call them heroes, but to say that doesn’t convey the emotional impact the same way seeing the memorabilia and allowing them (veterans) to tell their stories does,” Kaplan said, “they (veterans) truly served selflessly to protect their loved ones and our way of life. … We owe them such a debt of gratitude.”