Hundreds of residents are expected to show up Monday on Main Avenue in downtown Durango to honor U.S. veterans as part of the annual Veterans Day parade.
The day will kick off about 6 a.m. with former service members lining the street with American flags.
At 10 a.m., parade participants will gather at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train station and begin their procession at 11 a.m. north on Main Avenue to Rotary Park.
“The Durango High School band is participating, which I think is wonderful, given it's Monday and a school day,” said VFW Post 4031 spokesman Jeff Punches.
A variety of classic cars and floats, including one featuring the Blue Star Moms, will join the veterans in the parade, escorted by Durango police and fire personnel as they travel along Main Avenue.
The VFW will also host an open house at noon, inviting new members to join the ranks and serving food and beverages.
VFW enrollment is down from last year’s numbers, Punches said.
“Part of that is because of the accounting system; people who have not paid their annual dues are counted against that number. When people renew their dues, it'll raise us up,” Punches said.
Punches said the post’s auxiliary members, which are family members of veterans, are way up.
“They're already up to 109% of what they were last year,” he said.
The open house serves as an important opportunity to engage new members and ensure veterans know about the services and camaraderie offered by the VFW.
The VFW will host a Veterans Benefit Breakfast on Sunday, Nov. 17, starting at 9 a.m. Post 4031 will serve a hot breakfast for $10 for non-veterans and $9 for veterans, with proceeds benefiting veterans who are disabled.
The money is distributed by the Veteran’s Relief Committee, a collaborative group including the VFW, Elk’s Lodge and American Legion.
“We just paid a veteran’s propane bill for the winter and we’ve fixed a couple of cars recently,” Punches said of the Veteran’s Relief Committee.
Recently, funds were used to renovate a veteran’s home by adding a bedroom and bathroom on the ground floor, as he was no longer able to climb the stairs.
Veterans Day is about everyone who put on a uniform, not just the ones who served in combat, Punches said.
tbrown@durangoherald.com
