As the nation marks a half-century since the assassination of President John. F Kennedy in Dallas, cities nationwide — including Dallas –are holding events to mark the anniversary. 
Dallas will host a variety of events, highlighted by an observance on Friday, the actual anniversary, where the assassination occurred — Dealey Plaza. The commemoration will feature Pulitzer-winning presidential historian David McCullough, who will read parts from Kennedy’s presidential speeches.
A 73-member U.S. Naval Academy Men’s Glee Club will sing, and religious leaders will offer prayers and a benediction. About 5,000 tickets have been issued for this public event.
The Texas Theatre in Dallas will offer a partial screening of War is Hell, the film that was being shown in the theater when Lee Harvey Oswald, Kennedy’s killer, sneaked in after the assassination. The film will be shown at 1:20 p.m. Friday. Because the full copy of the film was lost, approximately 40 minutes of what has been salvaged will be shown. The admission is 90 cents, the price of a ticket in 1963.
A day of service — #JFKDay — will be held Nov. 23 for Dallas residents to honor Kennedy’s memory and service legacy.
Elsewhere:
•Washington: On Friday, the Newseum, which has two exhibits and a documentary on JFK, will host “JFK Remembrance Day,” which includes a rebroadcast of three hours of CBS News’ live television coverage on the assassination.
President Obama will meet privately with leaders and volunteers from the Peace Corps, an organization Kennedy established in 1961.
Also in Washington, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where Kennedy’s funeral took place, will host a Choral Mass of Remembrance on Friday.
•Arlington, Va.: The eternal flame at Kennedy’s grave site at Arlington Cemetery was restored last month. It is open to the public, and large crowds are likely over the anniversary weekend. President Obama will visit the grave Wednesday, accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, former president Bill Clinton and former first lady and secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
•Brookline, Mass.: The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site — the neighborhood and house where the president spent his childhood — will provide free admission to the public Saturday and Sunday. A brief memorial ceremony will be held at the president’s birthplace at 2 p.m. Sunday. It will include a reading of President Lyndon Johnson’s 1963 National Day of Mourning Proclamation and a wreath-laying.
•Pleasant Hill, Calif.: John F. Kennedy University, the only university in the country with his name, will hold a memorial Friday that will include an unveiling of a bust of Kennedy and the announcement of a project for students to honor the president’s service legacy.
•Chicago: Chicago officials passed a resolution Nov. 13 that calls for all city and state flags to fly at half-staff Friday, a citywide moment of silence at 1 p.m, and church bells to toll to commemorate the assassination of the president.
•Dearborn, Mich.: The 1961 Lincoln Continental that carried President Kennedy through Dallas on the day he was assassinated is on permanent display at The Henry Ford Museum. The museum offers special programs this week, including sold-out events with newscaster Dan Rather, who covered the assassination, and former Secret Service agent Clint Hill, who was on duty that day in Dallas.
•San Antonio: Kennedy’s last official act as president took place here, when he dedicated buildings at the Brooks Air Force Base School of Aerospace Medicine and gave his “Cap over the Wall” speech, one day before his death. Brooks City-Base will hold a commemorative event at the same place the president spoke at 2510 Kennedy Circle, at 2 p.m. Thursday. Free and open to the public, the event will include remarks by San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. A commemorative video of the speech, along with historic photos, will also be presented.
Contributing: David Jackson; The Associated Press
CLAY STAPP, residential real estate broker and owner of CLAY STAPP+CO. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook
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