At a recent meeting of Yorkton Council, the General Alexander Ross Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion made a request to have Veterans Week set by the city for the week of Nov 5-11.
At the meeting of Council, local Legion president Barry Whitehead said the annual Remembrance Banquet would be held in the Gallagher Centre Convention Room on Nov.11.
However, upon further review, the banquet portion of the Legion events schedule for the week has been cancelled, Whitehead told Yorkton This Week Monday.
“We don’t think we’d get the people,” he said, adding given the cost of such an event they chose not to proceed this year.
Other events will remain, including Legion Poppy Tag Day being held Saturday, Oct. 28, from 10am to 4pm. Members of local cadet corps along with members of the Cubs and Scouts movement will be located at businesses throughout the City distributing and taking donations for poppies for veterans.
Also starting on the 28th will be the Legions wreath sales campaign. Members will be out in the city and surrounding communities of Saltcoats, Bredenbury, and Churchbridge selling wreaths.
Sunday the 5th of November the Legion will be conducting a Church parade and service at St Andrews United Church. This service starts at 10:30am.
Monday, Nov. 6, at 10am a flag raising ceremony will take place at the RCMP flagpole in front of the City Detachment (City Hall). Members of the Legion along with RCMP representatives and members of City Council have been invited to attend.
Friday the 10th of November at 6pm will see the Legion and community members conducting a Candlelight Tribute Ceremony at the Cenotaph at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Darlington. This event is open to anyone who wants to attend.
Saturday, Nov. 11 will be the Remembrance Day parade and service. This year’s event will be held in the Nexera Flexi-hall at the Gallagher Centre. Everyone attending is requested to be in the building and seated no later than 10:45am. Following the parade, everyone is invited to attend a luncheon to be held in the convention centre.
There will be a silver collection for those wishing to support the Legion.
For the luncheon, there will be special seating for our Veterans, widows and the Silver Cross Mother. Special displays by the Grade 10 Regional High School history class commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Vimy Ridge will also be set up. This will also include a video presentation by Comrade Perry Ostapowich on the Vimy Ridge 100th anniversary.
