Okotoks remembers its veterans

Okotoks residents are ready to remember the fallen and those who have served their country with Remembrance Day ceremonies and events this Sunday. The annual Remembrance Day ceremony is Nov. 11 at the Pason Centennial Arena. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the Cappy Smart Band from Calgary will play military-style marching music before the ceremony begins at 10:15 a.m. This is a very important year of remembrance. “We are recognized 100 years of the signing of the armistice of 1919 ending the First World War,” said Legion member Rick Onsescu. The Okotoks ceremony will feature the Big Rock Singers and a strong showing of air, sea and army cadets, he said. Families are welcomed to lay wreaths on behalf of family members who served, and community groups lay wreaths to recognize service men and women. “A lot of the wreaths are laid by protocol, depending on the service and the years, but the family is also encouraged to lay wreaths on behalf of family members,” said Onsescu. Those interested in laying a wreath are encouraged to contact the Legion as soon as possible if they have not done so already, he said. Onsescu said he hopes to see the nearly 2,500 seats at Pason filled this year, though it may be difficult because of the timing. “This being on a Sunday I’m not quite sure how to anticipate or project the number of people coming,” he said. “This service is at the same time as church services for many people. “But we would encourage people, once a year on a Sunday, to remember what sacrifices our Canadian men and women gave throughout the years to provide us as citizens the freedoms and the rights that we have.” For those who prefer to honour soldiers at the cenotaph, an outdoor ceremony also takes place beginning at 10:30 a.m. in Frederick Pryce Memorial Park. The Kientz family has organized it every year since 2002. “It’s a very simple service, only about 45 minutes long, but I try to make it as meaningful as possible,” said Rena Kientz. Last year the cenotaph service saw nearly 600 people inside the park and along Veterans Way and Elma Street. It’s grown a lot since the first ceremony, which had only about 45 people attend in a near-blizzard, she said. Kientz began organizing the cenotaph ceremony when her youngest children were in Beavers, waiting to be old enough to join Navy League and cadets. She thought something should be done in town that would involve younger children so they could start learning about the importance of remembering veterans. “I realized nobody was doing anything at the cenotaph, and I thought that’s the place it’s supposed to be,” said Kientz. “That’s where people learn to remember, have the most reverence, and hopefully will never forget what those people did for us, because we have a really good life here.” With the help of her children as they grew up and became her bugler and guard, she continued to organize the cenotaph ceremony. The ceremony does not include dignitaries and speeches, but instead features carefully selected poems, prayers and songs, she said. Following the program and the playing of The Last Post, attendees leave their poppies at the base of the cenotaph in honour of the fallen veterans, she said. Following Remembrance Day ceremonies, Okotoks historian Karen Peters will lead the Field of Honour Tour, which guides participants through the veterans section of the Okotoks Cemetery beginning at 2 p.m. “This year I will again be talking about men who served in the First World War and tell some of their stories that we know,” said Peters. The Field of Honour was established in 1953 and many of the first burials were men from the Turner Valley area, because there was no cemetery available to them in that area, she said. The tour takes place no matter how the weather turns out on Nov. 11, she said. “The men served in all weather and I feel I can tell their stories in any weather as well,” said Peters. This year, there will be a Bells of Peace ceremony beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Frederick Pryce Memorial Park, with bells from RPAC ringing 100 times at 4:55 p.m. to commemorate the signing of the armistice from the First World War one century ago. [yop_poll id="21"]