Aurora honors veterans with parade, ceremony

Aurora and the Aurora Veterans Advisory Council will sponsor the annual Veterans Day Parade and Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11.

The parade will step off at 10:15 a.m. from the corner of Broadway and Benton and travel north on Broadway, then west on Downer Place to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, 23 E. Downer Place, where the "Honoring All Who Served" ceremony will take place.

During the ceremony, Mayor Robert O'Connor and other dignitaries will pay tribute to those who served and are serving. The keynote speaker is Bob Buman, an Illinoisan who has been portraying Gen. Ulysses S. Grant for more than 40 years.

Telling the story of the Civil War, Buman's portrayal of Grant has earned him accolades since he began in 1975 as a member of Galena's Nine Generals - a tradition honoring the nine Civil War generals that hailed from Galena, Illinois.

For this ceremony, he will address Aurora from the steps of the Grand Army of the Republic Hall in celebration of its reopening this year.

The ceremony will conclude with a military rifle salute at 11 a.m.

The parade lineup includes active and retired military personnel, local and regional veterans' organizations, public safety personnel, a community chorus, high school marching bands and ROTC units and many special guests.

Immediately following the parade and ceremony, the historic GAR Memorial Hall will be open for tours

The parade, ceremony and tours are all free. For details, visit www.aurora-il.org or call (630) 256-3370.