Wenatchee honors veterans with downtown parade and ceremony

WENATCHEE — With flags waving and brass notes echoing off downtown storefronts, Wenatchee paused an unusually brisk Tuesday morning to honor the men and women who have served in the nation’s armed forces.

The annual Veterans Day Parade, organized by American Legion Post 10 with support from VFW Post 3617 and local community groups, stepped off from the Wells Fargo Bank on Chelan Avenue at 10:30 a.m. The route carried marchers past cheering spectators to Memorial Park, where a brief ceremony included a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps.” From there, the procession returned along Orondo and Mission Street, concluding near its starting point shortly before noon.

Veterans Day, observed each year on Nov. 11, traces its origin to the armistice that ended World War I—signed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. First known as Armistice Day, it became a federal holiday in 1938 and was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all who have served, in every branch and every conflict.

Monday’s parade brought that history to life in small-town fashion: Veterans in uniform, color guards, scout troops, classic cars, and families lining the sidewalks to wave flags and say thanks. For a few bright hours beneath the November sky, Wenatchee’s streets filled with gratitude, memory, and pride.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media