Flags at the City of Williams Lake will be flown at half mast on April 9.
Training Officer, Lieutenant William (Bill) Sheridan says he was quite surprised and happy that the City showed support in having a Commemorative Parade to mark the 99th Anniversary of Vimy Ridge as he believed there would be some hesitancy.
“Being that it’s a Saturday, Saturday’s a very busy day for families. You know you see them in the community doing their running around that they normally couldn’t do during the work week and we’re having this ceremony pretty much in middle part of the day-I felt it was going to be a bit of a stretch.”
As for the parade itself, which will honor 170,000 Canadians, Sheridan says it will be very similar to Remembrance Day.
“The groups forming up at the rec centre and marching from behind the rec centre past Boitanio Park hooking onto Borland, marching straight down towards the Cenotaph and in front of City Hall and then we’re going to lay some wreaths to commemorate those who fought and died at Vimy Ridge.”
The 99th Anniversary of the Battle Vimy Ridge and Commemorative Parade sponsored by the Royal Canadian Army Cadets in Williams Lake takes place on April 9 starting at 2 pm.
“I’m hoping that the general public will come out and watch us and pay their respects,” says Sheridan.