People of the Westlock region will have ample opportunity to bow their heads and reflect upon the sacrifices of soldiers who died in foreign lands and those who survived to tell their tales as Remembrance Day ceremonies are scheduled not only for Westlock, but for communities around the region.
Nov. 11 will see residents gather for services in Westlock, Clyde and Jarvie to pay their respects to the fallen and celebrate the lives of those who survived.
The Westlock and District Community Hall will host Westlock’s Remembrance Day services which will be led by Legion chaplain Marjorie Steele.
“People can come anytime after 9 a.m. if they want to get a good seat. The ceremony will start as close to 11 a.m. as possible. We will have the marching of the cadet honour guard, then the marching of the colours.”
Trumpeter Alex Shabert will play Last Post which will be followed by two minutes of silence and then a recorded bagpipe lament, said Steele.
Steele will hand it over to Legion president Dave Hall at that point and he will introduce those veterans who were in the Canadian Armed Forces, including Steele herself, who was in the reserves during the Cold War.
After the ceremonies, Steele said she also takes wreaths to the Cenotaph at the Heritage Building. She then heads to Pickardville for a 12:30 p.m. ceremony there.
“Anyone is welcome to come along,” she said.
The Legion lounge will be open after Remembrance Day services and a banquet will take place at 5 p.m. Supper is $20 and veterans eat for free.
“People are invited to the Legion for a drink and some snacks and then there’s a banquet to follow,” said Steele.
When the sun sets at 4:42 p.m. the Catholic church and the Anglican church will also be ringing their bells 100 times each to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.
In Clyde, the service starts at 10:15 a.m. at the community hall.
Greetings will be brought by mayor Matthew White and message of hope will be given by local pastor Chris Lantz.
“The service follows a general pattern. We read out the names of those veterans that are on the cenotaph. Unfortunately we have no more Second World War veterans over in this neck of the woods,” said organizer Isaac Brower.
RCMP have been invited to be a part of the colour party and any members of the armed forces that happen to show up are also welcome in the colour party, said Brower.
A bugle player from R.F. Staples will also be on hand to play Taps and Reveille.
At about 10:45 a.m. attendees will be asked to step outside to lay the wreaths at the Cenotaph, which is just across the street from the hall.
Afterwards, those in attendance are invited to enjoy a potluck lunch back at the hall.
“We expect it will be well attended, usually a couple hundred people show up,” said Brower.
The service in Jarvie will see 21 wreaths laid in memory of fallen soldiers from the area.
John Tyrrell will lead the ceremony at the Cenotaph, across from the Jarvie Store, starting at 10:45 a.m.
Lunch will follow at the Jarvie Community Centre.
