Veterans Day is coming up this week on Friday and Galesburg residents will have the chance to formally honor those who have served in our military next weekend.
Starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, the 16th annual Galesburg Veterans Day parade will step off from the corner of Seminary St. and Main St., heading down to Cherry St. where the parade continues to the Knox County Courthouse.
The route is similar to other parades this year, which have had shortened routes, due to preliminary construction of the E. Main Street Underpass. Still, there will be plenty to see.
Co-organizer Ryan Hummel told WGIL Friday that over 50 entrants have already signed up. Many old favorites like the Monmouth Pipe Band, veterans organizations and car clubs will be back, as well as some new groups like..
“The Peoria Honor Flight that take your World War II vets to D.C. to visit the memorials for them,” Hummel says. “They contacted me and wanted to put a float in the parade, so, I thought that was awesome.”
The Galesburg High School band rotates between the Veterans Day parade and the Christmas parade, so, they will not perform, Sunday.
Hummel says co-organizer and veteran Mike Allen was chosen as this year’s grand marshal.
“Mike, this will be his last year helping with the parade,” Hummel says. “I thought, his last parade, he’s one of the guys who started it, what better way to honor him them by having him be the grand marshal.”
Allen, along with the late Larry Anderson started the parade after the 9/11 attacks of 2001.
