Orillia will once again be able to gather at the Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital cenotaph on Nov. 11 for the annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
Last year’s Remembrance Day ceremony was held to an invite-only event for Legion members, representatives of the Army Navy and Air Force Veterans, dignitaries, and hospital officials.
This year’s ceremony will begin at 10:15 a.m. A moment of silence will be held at 11 a.m., and the ceremony is expected to wrap up by 11:30 a.m.
“We are pleased that we are allowed back to the true cenotaph for Orillia. It’s always important” to gather on Remembrance Day, says Royal Canadian Legion Orillia Branch 34 President, Rick Purcell.
“In essence, the hospital is part of the tradition for soldiers. They do a lot for the veterans and they do a lot to help us out with Remembrance Day,” he said of OSMH.
The traditional post-service parade to the Legion will not occur, however. Instead, Legion members will march to Dunlop Street before getting on a bus that will take them back to the Legion.
“We haven’t marched for two years and our band is rusty, so they preferred not to have the parade. Also, the police are short-staffed right now, and they would need about 20 policemen to cover the area so it’s safe for us,” Purcell said.
“There wasn’t a parade last year, and we just aren’t quite ready to parade yet this year.”
For those who would like to watch the ceremony from home, it will be aired live on Rogers TV.
