The Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is continuing to make plans for a Remembrance Day service unlike any other that it has had before.
The service will begin on Nov. 11 at 10:45 a.m., but it will be held at the cenotaph near the Estevan Court House, regardless of the weather conditions that day.
Traditionally the service has been at the Estevan Comprehensive School, with the past two editions happening in the school’s gymnasium to accommodate larger crowds, and to allow the ceremony and the service at a temporary cenotaph to be in the same area of the school.
Since the Comp. is closed off to outside visitors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony will be held at the downtown cenotaph.
Troy LeBlanc, who is the chairman of the Remembrance Day service committee for the Estevan legion, said a limited number of people will be able to attend the service next week, but they have found a way for everyone to watch it, and some other programming that celebrates veterans.
Everything will be streamed through the legion’s Facebook page or through Access Communications, who will be filming the outdoor ceremony.
There will be some customary elements of a Remembrance Day service, such as the playing of the Last Post, the two minutes of silence, the reading of the Roll of Honour and Flanders Field. But there won’t be a guest speaker or the marching in of the colours.
There will also be a wreath ceremony at the cenotaph, with local dignitaries and community leaders involved.
LeBlanc hopes that people will take advantage of the live streaming opportunities to watch the service online.
“I’ve been monitoring the numbers closely with what’s going on, not only in our community but around the province. I’m making some slight contingency plans if our (attendance) numbers are reduced, but right now we’re sticking within the parameters that are given, and staying within that 30-person limit.”
The plans are coming along about as well as can be expected, he said.
“I strongly urge everybody to enjoy from the comfort of their home.”
LeBlanc said the legion has been receiving a lot of questions from the public about Remembrance Day this year and what will be able to proceed.
The service will be part of content throughout the day on the legion’s Facebook page and on Access Now. They have also scheduled Remembrance Day ceremonies from previous years, interviews from local veterans, a story about the Estevan Soldiers’ Tree monument, and the multimedia presentation.
Also shown will be the presentations that Capt. Craig Bird, a local military historian and the commanding officer of the No. 2901 Estevan Army Cadets, has made in honour of anniversaries for Vimy Ridge and the Battle of the Scheldt.
The legion has started distributing poppy trays to businesses in the community. Proceeds from the sale of the poppies will be used to help veterans-related causes. LeBlanc noted that the poppies will be available in communities as far away as Midale. People can also contact the branch and drop by to purchase poppies or wreaths.
