Royal Canadian Legion branches in the Nanaimo area will open their doors to the public, allowing people to honour war veterans and reflect on their sacrifices on Remembrance Day.
A parade to Dallas Square Park cenotaph in downtown Nanaimo will take place in the lead up to an 11 a.m. ceremony and area legions will hold events revolving around that.
Branch 10, 129 Harewood Rd.
The Branch 10 lounge will open at noon. Soup and chili will be served at 1 p.m. and beef-on-bun will be served at 5:30 p.m.
Mr. Hanna’s Music will have DJ duties from 2-6 p.m. and Big Daddy performs from 7-10 p.m.
Branch 256, 1630 East Wellington Rd.
Wendy Forth, branch secretary, says 256 will host an “all-day” open house.
A pancake breakfast will be served from 7:30-8:45 a.m. An in-house memorial service will take place from 9-10 a.m. for people not able to attend the cenotaph ceremony, but the Dallas Square Park service will be shown on TV at the hall.
A beef-on-a-bun lunch will be served from noon-3 p.m. and breakfast and lunch are free. The Mount Benson Ceili Band will perform between 1-3 p.m. The kitchen will be open with a paid menu in the afternoon.
Branch 257, 7227 Lantzville Rd.
The District of Lantzville will hold its own Remembrance Day ceremony at Huddlestone Park, with a preceding parade at 10:30 a.m. Following that, at 11:45 a.m., doors to the legion will open with veterans allowed entry first. Soup and sandwiches will be served for lunch and a roast beef dinner will be served between 4:30-5 p.m., said Joan Mezzatesta, branch secretary.
There will be entertainment throughout the day, with community bands from the mid Island and an Oceanside pipe band. The Canadian Scottish Regiment will also be on hand.
Also, the 808 Thunderbird Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association hosts a Remembrance Day gathering every year at its location at 719 Nanaimo Lakes Rd. The hall will be open 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. for those wishing to watch a live-streamed service. The bar opens at 11:30 a.m. and a free meal of soup and buns will be served starting at noon.
Another option for remembrance is to watch the national Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa starting at 7:30 a.m. Pacific Time online at www.facebook.com/CanadianLegion.
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reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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