Downtown Topeka Veterans Day parade is this Saturday: 'Show up and get in line'
Downtown Topeka's annual Sunflower Salute Veterans Day parade will start, rain or shine, at 11 a.m. Saturday, said Rikki Blume, the parade committee chairwoman.
Anyone who wishes to honor military veterans may take part in the parade free of charge, said Blume, who is herself a veteran.
"Just show up and get in line," she said.
Dedication ceremonies for a World War II Memorial in Gage Park will then be held later Saturday.
Where will the parade go?
The parade has taken place annually since 2013, though none was held in 2020, according to its Facebook site.
Floats, cars, trucks, bicycles and registrants taking part must have a patriotic theme, that site said.
More:Veterans Day Parade honors those who served
The grand marshal will be Topeka Mayor Mike Padilla, a retired law enforcement officer and a veteran of the Navy Reserve.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. Participants and vehicles will be registered after they enter the staging area at S.W. 6th and Harrison, Blume said.
The National Weather Service predicts Topeka will see a 50% chance of showers prior to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The parade will start at S.W. 10th and Harrison and go east on S.W. 10th Street, north on S. Kansas Avenue, west on S.W. 8th Street and north on S.W. Van Buren, ending in the area of S.W. 7th and Van Buren, according to its Facebook page.
Nothing may be thrown to the crowd or handed to the crowd from floats
Walkers may distribute flyers, candy or other items by handing them to people in the crowd, though the tossing of candy won't be allowed, that site said.
More:'Those sacrifices do not go unnoticed': Sunflower Salute Veterans Parade returns to downtown Topeka
What will the festivities entail in addition to the parade?
Handheld flags will be given away to the first 100 people to come to the event's main stage, which will be at S. 10th and Kansas Avenue, Blume said.
Capital Sound will appear beginning at about 10:30 a.m. on that stage, and will subsequently perform the National Anthem, she said.
The event will also feature a flyover, weather permitting, by members of KC Flight and Beech Nutz, flying together as Team KC, Blume said.
Anyhow who wishes to donate money to help support the parade may mail checks or credit card information to Sunflower Salute in care of the Kansas National Guard Foundation, 125 S.E. Airport Drive, Topeka, KS 66619.
World War II Memorial to be dedicated Saturday
Dedication ceremonies will be at 2 p.m. Saturday for a newly created World War II Memorial at the Gage Park Veterans Memorial at the northwest corner of S.W. 10th and Gage Boulevard.
The display features three monuments, with one each focusing on World War II in general, the war's European Theater and the war's Pacific Theater.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at 785-213-5934 or threnchir@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Annual Sunflower Salute Veterans Day parade to be Saturday in Topeka
