A Remembrance Day gathering will be taking place this year at Medicine Hat's cenotaph, but it will be limited to 100 people.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
Remembrance Day ceremonies in the area are going to look a bit different this year.
Due to COVID-19, the Medicine Hat and Redcliff Royal Canadian Legion branches will not be holding mass gatherings or marches before their cenotaph ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11.
Medicine Hat’s celebration will not include a gathering at the Esplanade this year, and it will only allow 100 registered people into a ceremony at the downtown cenotaph.
The Legion will not be open to the public after the ceremony, as it is dealing with strict capacity limits.
Legion president Sheila Donner says any ceremony is better than no ceremony.
“We have to keep Remembrance alive,” she said. “It’s especially important this year, being the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
“This is important for veterans, past and present.”
The group of 100 will be made up of past and present military members, Legion members, politicians and others. No cadets will participate.
The Canadian Armed Forces will send a representative down for the local ceremony, but will hold a ceremony at CFB Suffield.
There will be a Colour Party at the ceremony, but they will be pre-positioned at the cenotaph. Wreaths will be set up below the cenotaph before the event starts.
Members of the public who want to lay a wreath are encouraged to do so once the park is cleared out.
Donner says the local Legion is hoping that the event is livestreamed as it happens.
For Redcliff residents, it is similar news.
There will be a limit on how many people can attend the cenotaph ceremony.
Redcliff Legion president Peter Devlin says the day will look similar to what is happening in the Hat.
“Usually we would have a service in Parkside School’s gymnasium,” he said. “We’re going to have a small service at the cenotaph and we will be reading the names of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
“All of the wreaths except for one will already be laying at the cenotaph. Once the service is done, we will go back to the Legion.”
Once the main service is gone from the cenotaph, people are able to bring wreaths up.
Both events will be practising physical distancing.
More information can be found by contacting each legion.
