The beginning of November means that Remembrance Day is just around the corner and the Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Campaign is under way.
Poppies will be available in the region from the last Friday of October until Nov.11, and Canadians can wear them to honour Canada’s veterans and those who have died fighting for the freedoms we all know today.
Funds raised from Poppy donations remain in the local area and go to support local veterans and their families.
While Remembrance Day ceremonies will be broadcast on television, for those wishing to find services with a more local taste, ceremonies will be held by the local Legions in communities across Canada.
In Stettler, area residents had two opportunities to remember Canada’s war dead.
First, on Nov. 7, the Stettler Rotary held the annual ‘No Stone Left Alone’ ceremony at Lake View Cemetery.
The ceremony saw crosses with poppies placed on the graves of veterans beginning at 1 p.m.
On Nov. 11, the Stettler Legion plans to host a full Remembrance Day service, its first since the start of the pandemic.
The service will be held at the Stettler Performing Arts Centre. Doors will open at 10 a.m., with the ceremony to begin at 10:45 a.m. so that two minutes of silence can be held at 11.
Following the service, the public is invited back to the Legion for a light lunch of chili and a bun. Lunch will cost a nominal fee, according to organizers.
Anyone wishing to lay wreaths in the upcoming service are asked to get a hold of the Legion at 403-742-2404.
Wreaths are still available for purchase, with crosses costing $40 and medium-sized circular-wreaths costing $45.
