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Remembrance Day ceremony returns to Glenwood Centre in Port Alberni

Royal Candian Legion Branch 293 launch annual Poppy Campaign
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Lloyd Kelly of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 293 mans the poppy table at Walmart on Tuesday, Nov. 1. (ELENA RARDON / ALBERNI VALLEY NEWS)

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 293 in Port Alberni is looking forward to bringing back its indoor Remembrance Day ceremony for the first time in more than two years.

The annual Remembrance Day ceremony will be returning to the Glenwood Centre on Vimy Street on Friday, Nov. 11. The last time the ceremony was held indoors was November of 2019.

“We’re trying to set it up exactly the same as it used to be,” explained past Legion president Tim Murphy.

The ceremony will start at around 10:45 a.m., but organizers are asking people to be seated by 10:30 a.m. The Glenwood Centre ceremony is usually popular, and those who arrive late will find that the event is standing-room only.

Following the ceremony at the Glenwood Centre, community members are invited to a short ceremony at Greenwood Cemetery, where they can pay their respects at the Field of Honour, the Vietnam Veterans gravesite and the Hupacasath First Nation cemetery.

The Legion branch on Victoria Quay will be open to the public after the ceremony.

Legion members are happy to see a “return to normal,” said Murphy, after two years of outdoor ceremonies and COVID-19 restrictions. When the pandemic was declared back in 2020, the branch—like many other community organizations—was forced to shut down its hall and any fundraising events.

The lounge is now open again to members and the general public for bar service, with no restrictions, and the hall is available for rentals once again. Just last month, the branch hosted an “Idols & Icons” fundraising concert, with musician Mick Dalla-Vee. It was a sold-out event.

“It went very well,” said Murphy.

Another thing that looks different this year is the Poppy Campaign. For the first time since 2019, Legion members are able to man the tables in person and offer poppies to the community by donation. Legion members will be at “all the normal spots” around town, said Murphy, including grocery stores, liquor stores and Walmart.

“We haven’t been able to do this for two years,” said Murphy.

Donations to the Poppy Campaign go towards the Legion to provide financial assistance and support for veterans and their families who are in need.



elena.rardon@albernivalleynews.com

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Elena Rardon

About the Author: Elena Rardon

I have worked with the Alberni Valley News since 2016.
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