Veterans Day Parade and Celebration in Munn Park

Veteran-related non-profit organizations, as well as veteran-related vendors, are invited to register for our first “Veterans Day Celebration” in Munn Park on November 9 from 9am-2pm! The Veterans Day Parade will also wind through Downtown the same day.

2024 VETERANS DAY CEREMONY AND PARADE – CLICK HERE TO SEE PARADE ROUTE

HONORING MILITARY FAMILIES
On Saturday, November 9, 2024, at 10 a.m. there will be a ceremony celebrating all veterans at Veterans Memorial Park located at 701 West Lime Street. Guest speaker Stephanie Colon will address the audience and honor military families.  She is an Air Force wife, mother, businesswoman, community leader and patriot.

Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I. On this day we honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.  When Veterans Day falls on a weekday, many communities like Lakeland hold Veterans Day parades or other celebrations on the weekend before November 11 so more people can participate.

The Polk County Veterans Council is hosting the Lakeland Veteran’s Day Parade that takes place immediately following the ceremony in Veterans Park. The parade honors all veterans. The Veteran’s Day Parade will step off from the RP Funding Center at 11 a.m. and travel east along Lemon Street into downtown Lakeland. The parade will then turn north on Kentucky Avenue and end in the Munn Park parking lot. The parade will feature veteran groups, JROTC Units, Sea Cadets, CAP Cadets, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Marching Bands, City of Lakeland public safety members, Lakeland Electric and other community groups.

Gary Clark, Chairman of the Polk County Veteran’s Council said, “It is with great pleasure that we honor our veterans during this special day.” He added, “I hope the community lines the streets along the parade route and we show our veterans just how much we appreciate their service to our country.”

World War I, known at the time as the Great War, officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.  The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.