Veterans Day Parade canceled due to COVID-19 concerns

Linda Eldridge, of the Veterans Parade Committee of Campbell County, said that the committee just didn’t want to have a lot of effort and planning go into the event only to see it canceled shortly before the day.

“It was a hard decision,” Eldridge said. “It’s not one we take lightly.”

But she said when she looked around, it seemed that many people were being affected by COVID-19. There also recently had been a celebration of veterans with a parade on Sept. 11, in conjunction with the traveling Vietnam War memorial that was in town at the same time. Considering all those factors, Eldridge said the committee came to the decision that perhaps a parade was not the best thing for local veterans at this time.

“This was our 18th annual Veterans Day Parade,” she said. “We felt like there is so much of the COVID virus going around, and our committee was concerned. We felt like it wouldn’t be a good time to have the parade this year.”

Eldridge was one of the original founders of the parade. She was inspired by a trip she’d taken to Reno, Nevada, where the city celebrated Veterans Day with a stylish and well-attended parade. She wondered why Gillette and Campbell County didn’t have a similar event.

“My husband had his Vietnam veteran jacket on, and there were people who came out of the parade to shake his hand and thank him for his service,” Eldridge said. Just the memory of that day and their appreciation brought tears and a flood of emotion.

She said that Gillette and Campbell County have been wonderful supporters of the local parade.

“The community is so wonderful, coming out in the cold and the rain, and they still come out to show support,” Eldridge said.

She hopes that the absence of a parade doesn’t deter people from celebrating veterans on that special day.

“My thought is to keep our veterans in your thoughts on veterans day,” Eldridge said. “It is the day to honor them. Remember to keep them in your hearts.”