Leading up to Remembrance Day, many services are planned throughout Muskoka to honour those who served.
“[For] those that have fallen but also those that came home, and need our help and assistance,” says Betty Smith with Huntsville Royal Canadian Legion Branch 232. “Our peacekeepers, we’ve had over 125,000 Canadians in peacekeeping missions and 130 of those made the ultimate sacrifice. So I just think it’s really important that we remember.”
Smith says Canada’s peacekeepers are this year’s focus, as it’s the 75th anniversary of the first United Nations peacekeeping mission. She adds Canada continues to play an important role in international peacekeeping. “We have people deployed today. They’re on all kinds of missions right now, as you can imagine,” she says.
The Huntsville Legion will mark the day with its annual cenotaph service starting at 1:40 p.m., followed by a parade through downtown Huntsville, and ending with a lunch at the legion branch.
“I talk to a lot of people about Remembrance Day, and a lot of them say out of the whole day the most important thing is the two-minute silence,” says Smith. “That it gives them a chance to reflect on family, friends, the sacrifice everybody made.” She adds she hopes to see a lot of people at the various ceremonies around the region.
All Remembrance Day services will start at 11 a.m., unless noted:
Bracebridge
- Legion Branch 161 will host a service at 168 Muskoka Rd. S.
Bala
- Legion Branch 424 will host its service in tandem with the Wahta Mohawks as its administrative building at 2664 Kanien’kehá:ka Iohatátie (formerly Muskoka Rd.)
Burk’s Falls
- Legion Branch 405 is organizing a parade that will start at the cenotaph at 188 Ontario St., then move to the town’s fire station, and then to the legion.
Gravenhurst
- Legion Branch 302 will host its service at the cenotaph near its headquarters at 290 Veterans Way.
MacTier
- Legion Branch 507 will host its service at 11 Elizabeth St. starting just before 11 a.m.
Port Carling
- Legion Branch 529 will start its ceremony at the cenotaph across from 4 Bailey St.
Huntsville
- Legion Branch 232 will host its service at 21 Veterans Way. A parade is scheduled to start at noon.
Early services were held in Dwight and Baysville last weekend to honour Remembrance Day.
With files from Mathew Reisler
