Jasper to host area Veteran's Day parade

photo Paul Evans
Arkansas-Ole Miss Live Blog

JASPER, Tenn. - Members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6362 have been working since May to stage the area's only parade honoring local veterans for the upcoming holiday.

Jasper will host its first Veteran's Day parade Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. CST.

There is no other parade celebrating veterans in the area, officials said, and it's an event that may become a permanent tradition.

"It's the only one around," Mayor Paul Evans said. "I think we need to support [veterans]. Because of them, we're able to do what we do here."

Evans is a member of Post 6362 and said the group is "working awfully hard to have a good parade."

VFW member John Carson said Post 6362 has been working to be more involved in the community and trying to support the community with various events like the parade.

"We're proud of our organization," he said in May. "We have been planning on doing the parade, which we've never had before."

The parade will start at Marion County High School, officials said, and will take the same route through downtown as the annual Christmas parade.

Alderman Leon Rash said there has been some recent confusion among residents concerning this year's Veteran's Day parade and the city's long-established Christmas parade which always takes place on the first Saturday in December.

He said he wanted to assure residents that both parades will be held separately, and encouraged everyone to come out on Nov. 9 to show their support for the veterans who have given so much for their country and community.

"I personally think if you see a veteran, you need to thank them," Rash said. "Freedom is not cheap. We need to support them 100 percent."

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.

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