Summerlanders will gather in Memorial Park for to observe Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.
The ceremony, organized by the Summerland branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, will have a march to the cenotaph beginning at 10:45 a.m. At 11 a.m., there will be a two-minute wave of silence and the service.
Among those attending will be Dick Norris, a D-Day veteran who served in the Navy during the Second World War. He is one of Summerland’s few remaining veterans of the war.
During D-Day, on June 6, 1944, Norris was on one of the first ships to reach Juno Beach at Normandy.
The names of those who died during military action during the two world wars and the Korean War will be read during the Remembrance Day ceremony.
David Gregory, a Summerland historian, said the names listed on the cenotaph are not a complete record of Summerland residents who died during wars. He said at least one name is misspelled and in other cases, names are not included on the cenotaph.
The municipality of Summerland is planning to revitalize Wharton Street and Memorial Park in downtown Summerland. This work includes moving the community’s cenotaph and making it a central feature.
When the cenotaph is relocated, additional names are to be added.
This year, an additional 31 names of Summerland’s fallen during the First World War will be read during the ceremony.
Gregory said it is important to include these people during Remembrance Day. “We’ve already forgotten if we don’t know the names,” he said.
John Dorn, a member of the Summerland Legion, said 400 to 450 people are expected to attend this year’s ceremonies.
He said there has been a renewed interest in Remembrance Day in recent years, with growing numbers of young people attending.
After the event, Legion members, veterans and their caregivers and the Summerland Pipe Band on parade are invited to the Summerland Legion.
