ENID’S VETERANS’ PARADE SET FOR NOV. 18 IN CONJUNCTION WITH GRAND REOPENING OF CONVENTION HALL
Save the date Sunday, November 18th, 2012. That’s when Enid and the surrounding area will honor its veterans with several activities.
The annual Veterans’ Parade will start at 1:30 pm in downtown Enid and will end in front of Convention Hall in time for the grand reopening of the historic Enid landmark.
The theme for this year’s Veterans’ parade is, “Dedicated to the memory of those who have offered their services in the defense of our country.” This theme is the inscription on the cornerstone of Convention Hall, which was laid in a Masonic ceremony on Jan. 14, 1921.
This year’s parade will begin at the corner of Maine and Grand and will take a route around downtown Enid, continuing past Maine to Cherokee and the ceremony for the grand reopening of Convention Hall.
At the steps of Convention Hall, former Enid mayor Doug Frantz will read the speech delivered by his great uncle, Edmond Frantz, in front of an estimated 2,500 people at the ceremony for the laying of the Convention Hall cornerstone in 1921. Also scheduled to speak at the reopening ceremony is Enid mayor Bill Shewey, Enid city manager Eric Benson, and Craig Vance, an Enid native who served our country in the Persian Gulf and during the Cold War. He is also leading the coalition of local Veterans organizations sponsoring this year's Veterans’ Parade.
The grand reopening of Convention Hall is scheduled from 2-5 pm. Inside, there will be a place for veterans to sign up for a Veterans Oral History Project being done by the Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center. It will be an opportunity for the veteran to record his or her story to be preserved for future generations. The World War II Airborne Demonstration Team out of Frederick, Okla. will have a display here, and everyone will have the opportunity to write a thank-you card to a member of the U.S. Military overseas.
Parade entry forms and additional information are available at the Enid Welcome Center, 123 W Maine, and online at VisitEnid.org. Or you can call the Welcome Center at 580.233.3643 ext. 1 for more information. Entries will begin lining up for the parade at 12:30 pm on Nov. 18 at Grand and Cherokee.
