The Penticton Remembrance Day ceremony will be staying smaller again this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
But the poignant moments that make the service so moving will all be there, said Penticton Legion Branch 40 Poppy campaign chair and past president Bob Sudbury.
“We have a bugle playing the Last Post and a bagpiper will once again play the Lament while veterans and dignitaries lay down their wreaths,” said Sudbury.
Legion Padre John Briscall will lead the benediction and prayer.
The ceremony has been moved outdoors to the cenotaph at Veterans Memorial Park, taking place from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.
The park is located beside the courthouse on Main Street and Lakeshore Drive.
Veterans and other representatives are invited to lay their wreaths down, while the public is invited to come and stand around the outside of the park for the duration of the ceremony. Masks are mandatory and social distancing should be observed.
In addition to veterans and members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 40, local politicians and representatives of the Shriners, RCMP, and other emergency responders as well as federal employees will also lay wreaths. Local cadets will stand in honour by the cenotaph.
Once the VIPs have put down their wreaths, the public can lay their wreaths. Following the ceremony, the public is welcome to place their Poppies on the cenotaph.
It’s the Poppy’s 100th anniversary this year making the fundraising campaign that much more important, said Sudbury.
Commemorative Poppies are available to purchase at the Legion for $10.
“The Poppy campaign has gone really well this year, maybe because of COVID and people wanting to participate in remembering,” said Sudbury.
Poppies are available by donations at businesses across Penticton and at the Legion branch, 257 Brunswick St.
Over the last few years, the Penticton Poppy campaign has raised around $30,000 in donations. All funds go to help local veterans financially, towards the Penticton hospital and for bursaries for post-secondary education for local students.
This month, the Penticton Museum and Archives raised some new banners honouring six Penticton servicemen who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars.
Those banners are located in the 100 block of Main Street, across from the cenotaph.