UPDATED 12:25 P.M.
PEORIA, Ill. – A parade during a crisp and cool fall morning in downtown Peoria honored all of those who have served their country.
The city’s annual Veteran’s Day Parade was held Saturday morning, using Monroe and Main Streets as the routes, before ending at Courthouse Plaza for a ceremony.
Parade organizer and Service Officer at American Legion Post 2 Gary E. Hall says the parade is one of the ways veterans are honored in the area.
“Keep on doing things like the Veterans Parade, the POW-MIA flag, and it’s just a way of letting all the veterans know that they are not forgotten,” Hall said.
This year’s parade featured more than 40 participants and five Peoria-area marching bands, which Hall says is a small increase from last year’s parade.
The parade also featured five grand marshals, one from each of the five most recent conflicts the United States has been involved in; World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and the War on Terror.
One of the parade’s newest participants is the Heart of Illinois Blue Star Mothers. The group serves active military members and their families, along with veterans, to provide services, care packages, and fulfill needs at home.
The group’s Julia Murk says it’s a “huge deal” to be part of the parade.
“The ability to be able to honor these men and women who have sacrificed so much, it’s almost…it’s very humbling and very honoring to be part of it,” Murk said.
Murk says one thing she was impressed with was the participation numbers in the parade, and the marching bands involved.
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PEORIA, Ill. – Veterans from Peoria and all across central Illinois will be honored Saturday in the River City.
The annual Veteran’s Day parade will take place in downtown Peoria at 10:00 A.M. The route will start at the intersection of Kumpf and Monroe. It will travel north on Monroe to Main St., then turn right onto Adams St., before ending at the World War II Memorial at Courthouse Plaza.
Floats from the parade will be parked on Hamilton between Jefferson and Adams during the memorial ceremony, scheduled to start at 11:00 A.M.
The following intersections will be impacted during the parade and ceremony, from around 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.:
- Monroe & Kumpf
- Monroe & Fulton
- Monroe & Main
- Main & Madison
- Main & Jefferson
- Main & Adams
- Adams & Hamilton
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