News release - City of Barrie
To honour and recognize those who have served our country, Barrie's Royal Canadian Legion Branch and the City of Barrie join communities across Canada in commemorating Remembrance Day. This year marks the 78th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The City invites the public to visit the Remembrance Day Vigil at Memorial Square, hosted on November 10 from 7 p.m. to midnight, and on November 11 from 6 to 9:30 a.m. Five cadets in rotating shifts will stand vigil at the Cenotaph in Memorial Square.
The City also invites the public to participate in the Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony on November 11 at 10 a.m. The parade will start along Dunlop Street at Mulcaster and march to the Five Points intersection halting in front of the Cenotaph in Memorial Square for the ceremony. During the ceremony, a Feu De Joie (blank gunfire consisting of a rifle salute) will take place. Two minutes of silence will be observed at 11 a.m. followed by the ceremony and laying of wreaths.
To facilitate the Remembrance Day Ceremony and Parade, the following road closures with no on-street parking will be in effect from 6 a.m. to approximately 12:30 p.m. on November 11:
- Dunlop Street from Clapperton Street to Mulcaster Street
- Dunlop Street from Mulcaster Street to Poyntz Street
- Owen Street from Collier Street to Dunlop Street
At approximately 9:30 a.m. Mulcaster Street from Collier Street to Dunlop Street, and Mulcaster Street from Dunlop Street to Lakeshore Mews will be temporarily closed to allow the parade to pass safely through the intersection at Dunlop Street and Mulcaster Street.
If members of the community, local organizations or businesses would like to lay a wreath at the Memorial Square Cenotaph, they are asked to make arrangements in advance with the Legion. Following the ceremony, wreaths will be respectfully placed at the Cenotaph. Wreaths will be removed on November 14 at 2 p.m. (subject to change). The public is reminded if they would like to keep their wreath to please pick it up beforehand.
Veterans also ride Barrie Transit free of charge, with one companion, all day on Remembrance Day by showing anything that identifies their status as a veteran.
Barrie honours the military in many other ways, including the following:
- Poppies on street signs, to mark streets named after local soldiers
- Remembrance Day flags, which are displayed in the fall throughout Meridian Place, at City Hall, on Lakeshore Drive, and around the entire waterfront to Tiffin Street. This year, 15 new flags were added to the series, and flag locations and photos can be viewed on an interactive map.
- a Poppy Crosswalk, located at the crosswalk across from the Cenotaph at Memorial Square (at the base of Owen Street)
For more information, visit barrie.ca/RemembranceDay.
Banner image via the City of Barrie
