Parade will begin at 10 a.m.; ceremony will follow in Five Points Park
The public is invited to attend the annual Veterans Day parade in downtown Sarasota on Friday, Nov. 11, starting at 10 a.m., the City of Sarasota has announced.
Hosted by the city in conjunction with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, the parade will begin at the intersection of Main Street and Osprey Avenue, a news release notes. Upon its conclusion, a ceremony will be held at Selby Five Points Park; that will begin at approximately 11 a.m.
The theme for the 2016 Veterans Day ceremony is We Thank You For Your Service, the release notes. The keynote speaker will be retired Lt. Ryan Simonson, a West Point graduate, who served in the United States Army for 13 years, the release says. “He served multiple tours in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and was honored with many military decorations,” including the Bronze Star, the release adds.
Simonson teaches military studies at the Sarasota Military Academy, the release notes.
“The parade and ceremony continue Sarasota’s longstanding history of honoring military personnel,” it points out.
Among the units appearing in the parade will be those representing veterans service organizations, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, color guards, marching bands, local high school Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units, civic organizations and historical military equipment, the release adds.