- April 28, 2024
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World War II veteran Al Perkowski and Korean War veteran William Taft await the start of the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyLaura Slover accompanies Aurora Muller, 5, on her first Veterans Day parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyJim Schultz accepts a flag from Daughters of the American Revolution member Shawna Smith.
Photo by Ian SwabyCity commissioners Debbie Trice and Jen Ahearn-Koch, and County Commissioner Mark Smith and his wife Esther Smith, make their way down Main Street.
Photo by Ian SwabyRebecca Souders, 10, Jessica Wilhelm and Beth Duranceau watch the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyDavid Bonci and Chris Keilty of VFW Post 3223 make their way down Main Street.
Photo by Ian SwabyMayor Kyle Battie makes his way along the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyJackie Jackson and Mark and Laura LaSpisa applaud the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of Vietnam Brotherhood ride in a trolley down Main Street.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of the Venice High School marching band offer a performance.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of Sarasota Mighty Sailor Band from Sarasota High School offer a performance.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of Venice Shrine Club ride on a float with an inflatable clown.
Photo by Ian SwabyTravis and Susan Huggins watch the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of the Sarasota County Fire Department make their way down the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Spirit of '45 travels the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of the Bradenton Bombers Roller Derby skate down the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyRich Ryder watches the parade.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Riverview Kilte Band makes its way down the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyMembers of the Sarasota High School JROTC Bull Dog Battalion make their way down the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Riverview Kilte Band makes its way down the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyWilliam and Shanna Warner drive by in a jeep.
Photo by Ian SwabySarasota Military Academy cadets make their way along the parade route.
Photo by Ian SwabyJan Solomon invited children in the group onto the stage, including her two grandchildren Ivey Coletti, 10, and Elijah Coletti, 9.
Photo by Ian SwabyAaron Burkett of the James Lee Burkett Memorial Foundation, and his friend Amanda Waitsman of Semper Fi Steel Built watch the ceremony.
Photo by Ian SwabyCarlos Moreira, guest speaker at the event and a U.S. Marine Cops veteran, honors Ted Smith, also a U.S. Marine Cops veteran, with the John H. McLain Veteran of the Year award.
Photo by Ian SwabyGraham Melton, 3, accompanies his mother Rep. Fiona McFarland, John H. McLain Woman Veteran of the Year, as she delivers a speech.
Photo by Ian SwabyMicah Adams plays bagpipes during the ceremony at J.D. Hamel Park.
Photo by Ian SwabyRobert McDonald sings "God Bless America."
Photo by Ian SwabyCherel Rivera, Yolanda Russell and Cheryse Burns watch the ceremony.
Photo by Ian SwabyDanny Bilyeu plays taps in the ceremony at J.D. Hamel Park.
Photo by Ian SwabyLiam Jerez, 9, participates in the ceremony. His father, Julian Jerez, is a veteran. "It makes me want to be a veteran and serve my country," he said of the event.
Photo by Ian SwabyThe Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 may have been the largest yet, said Parade Marshal Dan Kennedy, a 35-year member of the Sarasota Patriotic Observance Committee.
Mark Shelby of the Christian Motorcyclists Association said the community spirit was indeed running high when it came to participation in the event.
“We've got a bunch of guys here today that are joining us and aren't even part of us,” he said. “They’re all like, come on, ride with us.”
The parade featured about 40 participating groups, multiple school marching bands, 200 veteran-owned jeeps, all local VFW and American Legion posts.
Those joining the proceedings included four World War II veterans.
“Wow, I can’t believe it,” said Al Perkowski, a World War II veteran who decided to participate in a parade for the first time. “It’s just a great feeling. It’s hard to believe this is really happening.”
The parade was followed by a ceremony at J.D. Hamel Park, which included a welcome by Sonny Bywaters of American Legion Post 30, an invocation and benediction by Jan Hamel Solomon, and proclamations declaring Veteran’s Day by Mayor Kyle Battie and County Commissioner Mark Smith.
The ceremony’s guest speaker was U.S. Marine Corps veteran Carlos Moreira, director of campus engagement for Veteran Success and Alumni Affairs at University of South Florida.
“Whether you serve in combat or not, you sign your name away to a blank check, giving your life away for your nation, in order for us to have the freedoms that we have today,” Moreira said.
Solomon, the daughter of Chaplain J.D. Hamel, for whom the park is named, recognized what would have been the chaplain’s 100th birthday. J.D. Hamel was chaplain for the Sarasota fire and police departments and sheriff's office, from 1960-1997.
