Every year, the Township of North Dundas, Ont. celebrates Remembrance Day the Sunday before Nov. 11.
The Royal Canadian Legion leads a parade through the village of Winchester, about 55 kilometres south of Ottawa, and residents are free to join in. "That's been a longstanding tradition," said North Dundas Mayor Tony Fraser. The mayor added the tradition allows families in the community to take part in the ceremony at the Winchester District Memorial Hospital.
"It's a moving day to walk through the town and see so many people that belong to the community come outside and take part in the ceremony," Fraser said. The Legion is accompanied by a pipe band from the Ottawa Police Service, as well as an escort from Ontario Provincial Police. Members of the Legion say the community support is the highlight of their day.
"It's important to the Legion, to the veterans, to have community involvement," said Shawn Doolan, the poppy officer with the Winchester Legion. "That's why we do this, is to bring the community and to make sure everybody has a reason to remember and feels involved in the remembrance." The municipality has also expanded their celebration of Remembrance Day beyond ceremonies on Nov.
11. Ten displays of knitted poppies were created and placed in different locations across North Dundas. Vince Zandbelt spearheaded the project, forming a committee of volunteers that came together to create the displays.
The committee went to each township and gave them about 650 of the knit.