Shelburne Legion opens Remembrance Day service to community members

Written By Paula Brown

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Shelburne Legion will be holding a scaled back service for Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) again this year, but has opened up the invitation for community members to attend in-person.  

The service will take place at the cenotaph, located in front of Town Hall in Shelburne, and will begin around 10: 45 a.m. on Remembrance Day. The service will be considered “static” with no marching from the local legion to the war memorial, and seating available only to veterans and their spouses. Cadets from the 164th Air Cadet Squadron will return to the service to stand guard at the cenotaph. 

“We're comfortable with doing what we did last year, and hopefully we have a beautiful day,” said Dean Schroeder, vice president of the Shelburne Legion. “It's important that we are there for our veterans, and we celebrate everything they've done and everything they went through to get us to this point.”  

Last year, the service held by the Shelburne Legion was restriction to 25 invited veterans, legion members, and select town officials due to the ongoing pandemic. Despite the restrictions a number of community members attended to show their respect and take a moment of silence. 

Schroeder said the memorial ceremony will be open to the public. 

“Everybody is welcome to be there, but we would like everybody who shows up to follow the guidelines that our government has put in place for use; ensuring that they wear their masks and social distance,” said Schroeder. 

While the Shelburne Legion typically holds four ceremonies on Remembrance Day including one at the legion, two separate services at the two long-term care homes in town and the service at the cenotaph, this year they will only be holding the cenotaph service. 

The service will take place on Remembrance Day (Nov. 11).