SARASOTA, Fla. — The city of Sarasota, in conjunction with the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee, held a Veterans Day parade and ceremony Friday to honor our veterans.
The parade kicked off at 10 a.m. and began at Osprey Avenue in downtown Sarasota and moved east to west on Main Street. It ended at Gulfstream Avenue. This year's parade theme was "Home of the Free because of the Brave."
Following the parade, festivities got underway at 11 a.m. at Chaplain J.D. Hamel Park, "recognizing the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when the armistice was signed in 1918, ending World War I."
There was a list of featured guests in the parade including guest speaker Dr. Thomas McElheny, a Sarasota businessman and chairperson of the Sarasota Military Academy Board of Directors. He served seven years as a U.S. Marine.
The color guards from the Sarasota Police Department, Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Sarasota County Fire Department were included in the parade, in addition to antique military cars, Sarasota and Venice high schools and other groups.