Aurora plans Veterans Day parade

Aurora will honor our nations' veterans Tuesday with a parade and military rifle salute.

Residents also will get their first look at recent renovations made to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place.

The Veterans Day Parade, sponsored by Roosevelt-Aurora American Legion Post No. 84, will step off at 10:15 a.m. from Benton and Water streets. The parade route will proceed north on Broadway to Downer Place and west to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall.

City Special Events Coordinator Lisa Jungels said Col. Layton H.M. Penington, chief of staff, 3/75th Battle Command Training Branch, will lead the nearly 400 participating veterans and marchers in the parade.

"By tradition, the parade always happens to fall on the coldest, rainiest, windiest day of the year," Jungels said. "But it's still a beautiful and fitting tribute to all of our veterans."

Following the parade, veterans and city officials will participate in a ceremony themed "Honoring All Who Served" at the memorial hall. The ceremony will conclude with a military rifle salute by local veterans' organizations at 11 a.m.

In addition to veterans and military organizations, parade participants will include the award-winning 50-member Marmion Flannigan Rifles, the East High NJROTC Unit, the Aurora Lamplighters Barbershop Chorus and the Chicago Highland Rifles.

For more information, call Jungels at (630) 844-4731 or visit the city Web site at www.aurora-il.org and go to Special Events.