On the Sunday before Remembrance Day – this year on November 4 – the commemorations will begin at the Cenotaph at Centennial Park at 9:00 AM. During this special service, Veterans, members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613, the Ladies Auxiliary, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, the Fenwick Volunteer Firefighters Association, the Fabulous Fenwick Lions, and Federal, Provincial, and Municipal political representatives will march to the Cenotaph and lay wreaths to remember those brave men and women who served (and who continue to serve) our country during times of war, conflict, and peace.
Then, at 10:00 AM, the Legion will organize another commemoration at the Cenotaph at Old Pelham Town Hall in Ridgeville. This service recalls those that served from the Ridgeville area and often also includes representatives of the Niagara Regional Police Service and several local veterans.
At 11:00 AM, Reverend Russ Myers and the congregation of Fonthill Baptist will host a special church service. The ceremony usually includes reciting John McCrae’s “In Flanders Fields”, a scriptural reflection, and a video that highlights local veterans.
Later, at 12:30 PM, the Legion will host a commemoration at the Cenotaph at Peace Park in Fonthill. This service calls to mind those who served from the Fonthill area, and also includes the laying of wreaths by members of the Fonthill Volunteer Firefighters Association, the Fonthill Lions, the Fonthill Rotary Club, the Fonthill & District Kinsmen and some local businesses.
On Remembrance Day itself – this year on a Sunday – the Legion will host a complete service at Veteran’s Park at the Legion in Fonthill. The service begins between 10:30 and 10:45 AM so that the moment of silence can occur at 11:00 AM. In recent years, and especially since the revitalization of the cenotaph, many people participate in this Remembrance Day service.
The freedoms that so many of us might take for granted – to express ourselves, to participate in cultural, religious, and political activities, to come and go as we please, to pursue a safe and happy life – are all due to the sacrifices of Veterans and those who serve today. They sacrificed their futures so that our future might be one of peace and of happiness.
Let us each take a few moments to participate in these Remembrance Day ceremonies so that we can be thankful and rededicate ourselves to peace. Lest we forget.
