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Large crowds expected at Remembrance Day ceremonies

Remembrance Day ceremonies in Okotoks and Diamond Valley are expected to attract large crowds. The Okotoks Ceremony will be held at the Pason Centennial Arena for the second year to accommodate the more than 1,000 people who attend each year.
Cadets stand guard at a cenotaph at the 2015 Okotoks Remembrance Day ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be held at the Pason Centennial arena for the second year.
Cadets stand guard at a cenotaph at the 2015 Okotoks Remembrance Day ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be held at the Pason Centennial arena for the second year.

Remembrance Day ceremonies in Okotoks and Diamond Valley are expected to attract large crowds.

The Okotoks Ceremony will be held at the Pason Centennial Arena for the second year to accommodate the more than 1,000 people who attend each year. Remembrance Day ceremonies in Black Diamond will take place in the Oilfields High School gym.

The growing attendance at local ceremonies, a new branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in Okotoks, strong support of the poppy fund and veterans in the community are sources of pride for an organizer of Okotoks’ Remembrance Day ceremony.

“It’s a recognition of Albertans and Canadians that value the contribution the military and peacekeepers have done for our community and our country,” said Rick Oncescu.

He said the program for the Okotoks ceremony will be similar to previous years.

The Cappy Smart Band begins playing at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony will start at 10:15 a.m.

The Okotoks Men’s Chorus and the Big Rock Singers will perform and the Legion chaplain will lead the ceremony in the Lord’s Prayer and two minutes of silence will be marked at 11 a.m. followed by the laying of the wreaths. Donations to the Okotoks Food Bank will be accepted at the ceremony.

Oncescu said there will be a larger presence from the Canadian military this year.

Capt. Tara Sawchuk will speak about her experiences serving during the Canadian mission to Afghanistan.

Oncescu said the ceremony will remember those who have served in Canada’s military commitments from the First World War to present day.

Veterans of other conflicts and peacekeeping missions are taking a larger role during Remembrance Day ceremonies because there are no living World War One veterans and fewer World War Two veterans, he said.

“We have Korea, we have Iraq, we have Afghanistan and we’ve got our peacekeepers,” said Oncescu.

He said the ceremony has grown in recent years and attracts people of all ages and from a variety of community organizations.

The Okotoks ceremony was held in the Foothills Centennial Centre until 2014, but outstripped the centre’s capacity and was moved to the arena.

“Our staff guessed there was at least 1,500 people there [in 2015] which is more than we could’ve ever taken in at the community centre,” said Oncescu.

He advises people to arrive early to find a place to park and a seat in the arena.

There will also be a ceremony at the Okotoks Cenotaph on Veterans Way starting at 10:20 a.m.

The outdoor ceremony will include speeches and after two minutes of silence there is a wreath laying and a precession

Black Diamond ceremony organizer Linda Macaulay said they take a moment to recognize all the veterans in the audience at the ceremony.

“That gives us a chance to appreciate them and acknowledge them,” she said.

The ceremony is held at the Oilfields High School in Black Diamond. It will start at 10:30 a.m. and will mark two-minutes of silence at 11 a.m.

The ceremony will have live musical performances for the first time by the Foothills Concert Band.

She said it will add to the atmosphere and feel for the event.

“Instead of a recorded Last Post, it’ll be a real trumpeter and that always gets you,” she said.

The number of people who are attending the ceremony has grown in recent years, she said.

Last year’s ceremony saw more than 640 people turn out and she expects to see as much as 700 people. At that number, she said the event is reaching the capacity of the Oilfields High School gym.

She said it’s good to see people taking the time to mark Remembrance Day.

“I’m proud, extremely happy and glad that people are recognizing that we have to remember,” she said.

She also recommends people arrive early to get a seat.

“Otherwise it’s going to be standing room only,” she said.

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