Veterans Day ceremony includes flag dedication

Sarasota’s Veterans Day ceremony this year includes a slight change to the parade route and a unique ceremony after the procession.

The parade begins Thursday at 10 a.m. at Main Street and Osprey Avenue. Marchers will continue down Main Street as usual, but this year, the route stops at Five Points.

A special ceremony will be held to dedicate the Five Points roundabout and raise the American flag there for the first time.

State of Florida and city of Sarasota flags will also fly in the center of the roundabout.

Five Points has long been tied in with military veterans. During World War I, Sarasota pioneer Bertha Palmer donated a flag to fly there, and when the war veterans returned to Sarasota, Palmer had a message placed on a sign at Five Points that read “Welcome home buddies.”

That same message can be seen today in the bricks at the center of the Five Points roundabout.

Contact Robin Roy at [email protected].