Springfield's Veterans Day parade kicks off Friday. What to know (plus what's open or closed)
The Veterans Day parade will kick off at 11th Street and Capitol Avenue at 10 a.m. Friday.
The parade returned last year after a two-year hiatus. Cold weather forced its cancellation in 2019 while the COVID-19 pandemic claimed it in 2020.
As in the past, the parade will proceed down Capitol Avenue to the state Capitol.
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The parade is being put on by the Interveterans Council of Sangamon County in partnership with the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Interveterans Burial Detail of Sangamon County and the Hayes-Krell Military Order of the Purple Heart.
The parade's grand marshal is World War II veteran Leon Carter of Springfield.
Carter, 95, served in the war after entering the Marine Corps in 1945. He was part of the antiaircraft crew of the 52nd Defense Battalion that was deployed to the Marshall Islands and Guam.
Carter later worked at Fiat-Allis in Springfield.
![Eva Hollinshead, 2, hitches a ride on the back of her sister, Alex Hollinshead, 12, as she waves her American Flag during the Veterans Day Parade along Capitol Avenue in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, November 11, 2021. [Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/NBi5vIIhI9I4JW0hW39tnA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY3Nw--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/the-state-journal-register/f7d0bff336265d7d7d694fe13128db70)
“The Springfield Veterans Day Parade is a tradition for the community to honor and recognize veterans across Illinois," said Terry Prince, the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs. “We value the partnership of the sponsors of (the) parade and all veteran organizations that dedicate their resources and talent to improving the lives of veterans.”
About 20 units are expected to take part in the parade, said organizer Phil Brown, a commander with the Interveterans Council of Sangamon County, including marching bands from Lanphier, Southeast and Springfield high schools.
Friday's forecast is sunny with temperatures in the high 40s.
A program and complimentary lunch, open to the public, will follow the parade at the American Legion Auxiliary Post 809, 1800 E. Capitol Ave., at 11:30 a.m.
Military band at ALPLM
The "Airlifters Brass Ensemble" from the Mid-America Air Force Band at Scott Air Force Base near Belleville will perform a free concert at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum plaza at 1 p.m. Friday.
All members of the U.S. Armed Forces, active duty and veterans, receive free museum admission on Friday with proof of military service.
The ALPLM will pay tribute to fallen veterans with a special memorial flame on display just outside the main entrance to the ALPLM.
The ALPLM will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Chatham-Auburn VFW fundraiser
The Chatham-Auburn VFW Auxiliary 4763 will be serving food to raise funds for Veterans Suicide Awareness & Prevention at AJ's Corner, 101 E. Mulberry St. in Chatham, from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday.
JackAsh (Ashley Staley & Jack Stege from the local cover band Off the Wall) provides the entertainment and there will be local celebrity bartenders.
UIS ceremony
The University of Illinois Springfield will hold a flag raising ceremony at the Public Affairs Center at 9 a.m. Friday.
U.S. Air Force Col. Shawn D. Strahle from the Illinois National Guard and UIS Chancellor Janet Gooch will offer brief remarks.
Strahle is communications director for the ILNG specializing in information technologies.
Light refreshments will be served in Conference Room C/D (Public Affairs Center) at 8:30 a.m.
On Friday, UIS students tied hundreds of yellow ribbons on campus trees as part of a Veterans Day tradition.
Several campus clubs and organizations will gather at the Military and Veterans Services Office (PAC 120A) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday to write "thank you" notes to military members.
LLCC ceremony
Lincoln Land Community College will hold its 27th annual Veterans Day ceremony in the A. Lincoln Common at 12:30 p.m. Friday.
LLCC student Jonathan Gebhardt, Ret. U.S. Air Force senior airman and president of the LLCC Veterans Club, will provide remarks.
The ceremony honors all veterans, including LLCC faculty, staff and students who served in the armed forces. It is sponsored by LLCC Student Life and Veterans Club.
Taylorville dedication ceremony
Officials will hold a dedication ceremony for the entrance wall and memorial wall of the Lake Taylorville Veterans Point Memorial near the Lake Taylorville Dam at 1 p.m. Friday.
World War II veterans from Christian County will be honored at the dedication. The memorial is dedicated to area veterans and those presently serving.
An Honor Guard from Taylorville VFW Post 4495 and the American Legion Post 73 will take part in the ceremony.
For more information, call Marcia Neal at 217-824-3555
Openings and closings
Veterans Day is a federal holiday meaning all federal buildings and courts will be closed Friday.
All post offices will be closed and there will be no mail delivery.
State of Illinois, Sangamon County and city of Springfield workers will observe Friday as a holiday. Springfield District 186 schools are closed.
University of Illinois Springfield, Lincoln Land Community College and Blackburn College will all be in session. There will be no classes at Midwest Technical Institute's Springfield campus.
Sangamon Mass Transit District buses will run regular schedules on Thursday. Tourist sites in the area will also be open.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Veterans Day parade returns in Springfield, IL. What to know
