Organizers are thrilled after the inaugural Remembrance Day Vigil in Wallaceburg this past weekend. The 24-hour vigil began at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 10 at the Wallaceburg Cenotaph. Volunteers took shifts leading up to the Remembrance Day service held by the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 18 on Sunday morning.
“The Remembrance Day vigil in Wallaceburg was an amazing success,” said Rick Bernard, one of the organizers for the vigil, on social media.
“There are so many people that we would like to say thank you to for the help and contributions to the day. Thank you to the most amazing community in Chatham-Kent. The citizens of Wallaceburg. We put out the word to get volunteers to come up to the cenotaph and pay respects to our veterans, and you guys and girls of all ages answered the call and (braved) the cold no matter what time.”
Bernard added St. James Anglican Church opened up their doors as a warming station during the event as well.
The Legion began their Sunday service at Wallaceburg District Secondary School at 9:30 a.m.
A family wreath laying ceremony was held and a video was shown to the crowd, which was created by students from WDSS.
After the service, a procession marched up to the Wallaceburg Cenotaph for 11 a.m.
Government representatives laid wreaths as part of the service and a light lunch followed at the Legion.
Another highlight at the Wallaceburg service, were the 100 white, wooden crosses placed in the ground leading up to the Cenotaph.
The crosses were made by technology and art students at WDSS in order to commemorate the 100th anniversary of ‘Armistice Day’.
Here are some photos from the Wallaceburg service, provided by Legion member Lana Polkinghorne:
