LAC LA BICHE - Each year on Nov. 11, Canadians from coast to coast gather to remember and pay homage to veterans who fought for their nation’s freedoms.
This year, Remembrance Day ceremonies in Lac La Biche are set to take place at the Royal Canadian Legion, as well as in area schools.
Danny Stevens, the president of the McGrane Branch #28 of the Royal Canadian Legion, said the local branch will once again be hosting the official Remembrance Day event starting at the cenotaph at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11. Military personnel from Canadian Forces Base Cold Lake, along with RCMP members, community peace officers, veterans, Legion members, and local dignitaries are all expected be at this year’s ceremony, which will include speeches and remarks.
“After that, we’ll be having a little luncheon in the Legion,” Stevens told Lakeland This Week.
The Remembrance Day service held last year at the McGrane Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, Stevens continued, went very well, with over 300 people in attendance. Organizers of the observance are hoping for a good turnout again this year.
Veterans’ Week events
According to the branch president, during Veteran’s Week, which runs from Nov. 5-11 and leads up to Remembrance Day, Legion members attend ceremonies at local schools, where they often give speeches.
Holding annual services leading to the Nov. 11 event, Stevens said, brings awareness to the sacrifices made by veterans both past and present.
“They create awareness, which is very important,” he stated. “It’s just important to remember these people.”
Since the COVID pandemic, the Remembrance Day service – which had been held inside the Bold Center for a few years – was once again returned to the outdoor ceremony at the Legion.
Having the event at the cenotaph, Stevens said, is a more fitting venue as it allows attendees to stand outside – even in inclement weather – to commemorate those who served their country.
“They didn’t have the option of going inside at times,” he said.
Education
Schools throughout the Lac La Biche region will be holding their ceremonies during the week leading up to Remembrance Day, with many of those events taking place on Nov. 8.
Carmen Semeniuk, the vice principal of Light of Christ Catholic School in Lac La Biche, said the school will be holding its Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. The event will include speeches as well as a moment of silence in honouring those who have fallen as well as current serving members of the Canadian military.
“We’ve invited some dignitaries and the community to join us,” she said. “We will have some presentations from students.”
During the week prior to Remembrance Day, Semeniuk explained, students and teachers participate in activities, write poems and learn about veterans.
Attending and participating in Remembrance Day events, Semeniuk continued, is important for students,
“It brings awareness for them to understand where our freedoms come from and the sacrifices that so many had to pay in order for us to live in the country and in the world that we do,” she said.
Lisa Mahaden, the administrative assistant for Ecole Plamondon School, said the K-12 school will be holding its Remembrance Day ceremony for Thursday, Nov. 7 at 10:30 a.m. in the school gymnasium.
“Our school-wide celebration includes VIP guests,” she said, adding that these guests include a Lac La Biche County councillor, a representative of the Royal Canadian Legion, members of 4 Wing in Cold Lake, along with a member of the Northern Lights Public Schools board of trustees.
Over at Vera M. Welsh Elementary School, students will be gathering for an assembly on Nov. 8 at 10:45 a.m. According to Nicole Biollo, a teacher at the school, the event will include representation from local community peace officers, Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue Services, RCMP, as well as the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Biollo continued by saying that Margo Caron, a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, will be at the Remembrance Day event to give a presentation to students about how animals were used in war. Each of the grade levels at the school, she added, will perform a piece for the special event.
Hosting these annual observances at the school, Biollo said, is important as it teaches kids about the significance of Remembrance Day.
“It is something that marks our history and that we need to inform our youth of why we have Nov. 11 and why we have the day off,” she stated.