There will not be a Remembrance Day parade in Greenwood this year due to COVID-19 restrictions, nor will the Legion host its annual post-parade lunch.
“We’ll have a short service at the cenotaph,” Legion president Bob Walker confirmed. Ceremonial wreaths will be to be laid out by volunteers before Walker leads the service. Officers from Midway RCMP have been invited to attend.
“Anybody can come,” he said, “as long as they stay apart.”
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Social-distancing guidelines recommended by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry would have made it exceedingly difficult to put on a parade worthy of the name, Walker said. The same guidelines would allow the Legion Hall on South Copper Rd. to seat only 30 people, roughly one-third the number of parade-goers who would normally attend the annual potluck lunch. Buffet-style potlucks hardly lend themselves to pandemics, anyway, he added.
The Legion’s annual poppy campaign will go ahead as usual, according to campaign chairperson Solange Jacob. As per tradition, Jacob said she would present mayor-elect Barry Noll with the first poppy of the year at a small ceremony Friday, Oct. 30. She will pass Noll a poppy pinned to a Legion program instead of pinning one over his heart.
“Everyone will be wearing masks. We’ll do it the best we can and that’s the best we can do,” she said.
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laurie.tritschler@boundarycreektimes.com
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