Annual Ethnic Awards Ceremony at Ellis Island

Sponsored by the Ellis Island Foundation, the annual Ethnic Coalition Medals of Honor Ceremony is a very colorful event that lasts all day and well into the evening. The color guard participants form part of the honor guard detail on the pier to receive the distinguished medal recipients and their guests as they arrive onto the island. Then, the massed color guards present the colors as part of the opening ceremonies. The awards ceremony is followed by a dinner for the medal recipients, a closing ceremony including orchestral and choral performances by members of the armed forces, and is capped off by a fireworks display in the harbor near Lady Liberty.