CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nobody does a Veterans Day Parade like Charleston, West Virginia.
The parade is a tradition which dates back to April 1942 when the first parade was staged. During that event, veterans of World War I marched down Capitol Street in support of service members who at the time were engaged in World War II.
It’s the longest running Veterans Day Parade organizer Ed Converse knows about and it keeps growing.
“This year we probably have a longer parade route thanks to the city,” Converse said. “Last year we had a situation where the front of the parade passed the back of the parade.”
The parade steps off at 10 a.m. The route will begin at the intersection of Leon Sullivan Way and Kanawha Boulevard. From there it will go counter to the traffic flow on Leon Sullivan to Quarrier Street and make a left. Marchers will then take Quarrier all the way to Clendenin Street. The parade will go west on Clendenin Street and back to Kanawha Boulevard, pass a review stand at Haddad Riverfront Park, then break up at the South Side Bridge.
“We’re getting bigger and bigger each year,” said Converse. “When a lot of communities are cutting back or completely eliminating that.”
Converse said they have had a lot of interest for veterans who are not tied to any organization who would like to be a part of the parade. He said they’ve loosely set a goal to get 1,000 Kanawha Valley veterans to march in the parade.
“Whether they march 10 feet or the entire route or if they join at various points or dropout when they get tired,” he said. “All veterans are welcome to participate because we do have a position of honor for them in this parade.”
Any veteran who’d like to be part of the parade can meet at the flags of Haddad Riverfront park when the parade begins at 10 a.m. and they’ll be directed to their position in the lineup.
The parade will have about 100 units and among those units are a number of veterans groups. Conner hopes there will be an outpouring of gratitude even though many people have to work Wednesday.
“The past couple of years we’ve had some pretty good crowds,” he said. “The way it is somebody could actually view the parade on Quarrier Street then walk a couple of blocks and watch the parade again on Kanawha Boulevard. A lot of people do that.”