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RCL Branch 133 hosts Remembrance Day

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 133 will host Cobourg's Remembrance Day ceremony at the Victoria Park cenotaph Nov. 11, and members of the public are invited to the 11 a.m. ceremony.

Prior to the ceremony, a Remembrance Day Parade will travel from Victoria Hall to Victoria Park, starting at 10:30 a.m. The planned route calls for them to travel east from Victoria Hall on King Street, then turning right on McGill to make its way into the park. Following the ceremony, the parade will reverse itself on the same route, with the Legion – now located at 135B Orr St. - hosting a social afterwards.

In honour of the day, the Town of Cobourg advises residents that all town-owned flags throughout the community will be lowered to half-staff. And there will be temporary road closures to accommodate the parade – King Street between Hibernia and Church Street, and McGill Street – from 10 a.m. to noon Friday.

The Legion is also hosting a Remembrance Day Dinner, which is open to the public. It begins with cocktails at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20, available at the Legion or by contacting Wayne McKinnon at 905-376-8053. Veterans are admitted free if they show a veteran or Legion card.

You will have seen the poppy volunteers with their trays by now, with the traditional time frame for each year's Poppy Campaign running from the last Friday in October through Nov. 11. Tens of millions of Canadians wear the poppy to show their respect for Canada's veterans and remembrance of those who sacrificed for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Donations collected during the campaign are held in trust at the branch level for direct support for veterans and their families within their community, and to help ensure Canadians never forget.

To learn more, or to donate to the Poppy Fund, contact Poppy Chair Wayne McKinnon at 905-376-8053 or waynemckinnon5@cloud.com or leave your cash or cheque donation at the branch in an envelope marked to the attention of Wayne McKinnon (tax-deductible receipts will be issued for donations if a name and address are included).

The Digital Poppy campaign is back for 2022 at www.mypoppy.ca. At this website, you can create your Digital Poppy to share with friends and family on your social-media channels.

Another way to honour our veterans is to take the Remembrance-themed Cobourg Poppy Trail Walking Tour at https://experiencecobourg.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PoppyTrail_Guide_2020_FNL_sml.pdf. You can download a PDF of the walking-tour booklet with author and historian Hugh Brewster at The Poppy Trail - Historic Walking Tour