There will only be one Veterans Day parade in Cortez this Friday, but there will be several ways for community members to honor past and present members of the military.
Last year, two veterans groups in Cortez held separate parades on Veterans Day, but this year the American Legion Post 75’s traditional parade on Montezuma Avenue will be the only one. The Montezuma County veterans services officer, Rick Torres, has taken over from John Shiner as the parade organizer, and he hopes to make it a memorable one. The Elks Lodge is also holding a free luncheon for veterans and their families, and there will be morning ceremonies at the American Legion Hall and the Dolores High School.
Torres said he got a late start organizing the parade this year, so it may not have as many participants as he would like. The Mesa Howlers will not be performing after the parade as they have in past years. But Torres still plans to have at least 25 to 30 floats in the parade, with participation from the Cortez Police Department, the local car club, several bands and other local organizations. The parade often draws crowds of more than 500 people, and Torres believes it’ll be the same this year.
“We usually have a pretty good showing,” he said. “It’s not as huge as the Christmas parade on Main Street or some of the other parades we have, but I’m hoping we’ll grow into that eventually.”
Torres has big goals for the’ parade in the future. To make up for the late start this year, he plans to start advertising and getting support from local businesses for the next parade as early as May. He has also thrown out ideas like having a special float for older veterans so that they can see the support from the crowd without having to walk.
“We’ll see if we can get this under our belt, and than hopefully we can grow and get better and bigger every year,” he said.
For now, though, the parade will begin as usual at 1 p.m. near the intersection of W. Montezuma Avenue and N. Elm Street, and will proceed down the road on the south side of the median. Torres estimated it will last about 45 minutes, and will be followed by a reception for veterans and their families at the Legion Hall.
Earlier in the day, the American Legion had a breakfast fundraiser at their hall in Cortez, starting at 7 a.m. It will begin with a ceremony honoring local veterans, but the breakfast itself is open to anyone, and anyone is welcome to donate to the Legion.
The Cortez Elks Lodge will also be celebrating with a free luncheon for members of the military and their spouses, both active and retired, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu will include hamburger steaks, fried chicken and other treats. About 130 people are expected to attend.
For those living outside Cortez, another Veterans Day program will be held at Dolores High School at 8:30 a.m., with a private reception for veterans starting at 8 a.m.
In Dolores local veterans were honored today by Dolores students who sang patriotic songs and read poignant passages during a moving ceremony on campus.
“We thank you for the sacrifice, we thank you for our rights, our freedom, our equality, our liberty,” said student Sierra Schwartz. “You gave up something for us so we can happily go about our day in peace.”
Dozens of veterans, many dressed in full uniform, were visibly moved by the gesture of appreciation for their military service.
Those who gave the ultimate sacrifice were honored with five decorated and empty chairs, representing soldiers lost in the five branches of the military.
During an open-mic session, veterans took the podium to speak of fellow soldiers who passed on, lest they be forgotten. Others shared what this day meant to them.
“It means a lot to me because my family has served in the military since 1820,” said veteran Joe Newell. “It means honoring my family and the sacrifice they made, and sacrifices of everyone sitting here. I like to see all these young people honoring and respecting us; it’s a great feeling.”
