Guns, flags and soldiers will take to the streets of Athens this weekend to celebrate the nation’s war veterans.
“I just thought it was time we involved the community,” said Nancy Brown, Veterans Day parade founder and the city’s Americanism chairwoman. “If it weren’t for our veterans, we wouldn’t even be here to do what we do.”
Despite meeting some resistance in the early stages of creating the parade, Brown founded the event more than 16 years ago in an effort to show appreciation to the county’s veterans and their families.
“I talked to (the city) for two or three years and I asked if they could let me try even though they thought it wouldn’t work, and it did work,” she said. “Every year it has grown.”
This year’s parade will include a float contest with cash prizes, 4-H groups, the local Boy and Girl Scout troops and guest speaker Lt. Col. Terry St. Peter, a professor of military science for Ohio University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. The event will revolve around the theme, “Remember Me – The Veteran.”
“Everything we do is because of a veteran that has fought for this country to be free,” Brown said. “If is wasn’t for the veterans, where would we be?”
Brown said that, on average, the parade features 40-45 units or floats. However, she expects the number to decrease to about 30 because the parade is taking place Sunday, which limits school involvement.
But Brown’s estimate is not exact. Michele Powell, the county’s veterans service officer, said that the number of participants has yet to be determined.
“I am unsure of the number of floats,” she said in an email. “It is up in the air. I am still receiving entry forms daily.”
Though the date is not ideal, Brown said she is still optimistic and expects a good turnout for the parade.
“Each year we draw more and more people, and if we have kids, then we have parents involved, and if they come, they realize what Veterans Day means,” Brown said. “(Veterans Day) is when we have a chance to honor our veterans and our freedom and the right to vote.”
lf328610@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: Veterans Day Parade
When: 9:45 a.m.Nov. 11.
Where: Starts on Morris Avenue, moves west on State Street to Carpenter Street to Court Street to the Soldiers & Sailors Monument
Admission: Free
