Veterans Day Parade returns to downtown Birmingham

Birmingham enjoys a special connection to Veterans Day, the national holiday celebrated each Nov. 11 to honor the people who’ve served our country in the armed forces.

In 1954, after the lobbying efforts of Birmingham resident and World War II veteran Raymond Weeks, President Eisenhower signed a bill to rename Armistice Day — created in 1919 after the end of World War I — as Veterans Day.

And the nation’s first Veterans Day celebration had already been held in the Magic City on Nov. 11, 1947, featuring a parade.

Birmingham’s Veterans Day Parade has continued and is the largest such event in the United States.

The parade was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the event is back live and in person this year.

The 2021 National Veterans Day Parade will be held downtown on Thursday, Nov. 11, 1:30-4:30 p.m

The annual National Veterans Award Dinner will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Downtown Birmingham.

Organizers are excited to stage the parade live again this year for a couple of reasons, said Mark Ryan, the president of the nonprofit National Veterans Day Foundation in Birmingham.

“It appears that we are breaking out of the COVID grip that kept us for two years,” Ryan said.

“The other part is that it is a live parade, a live event, which is much more exciting than something that is virtual,” he said.

In 2020, organizers had to make due by putting together a virtual parade using video from previous parades and some additional footage shot off-site last year, Ryan said.

In a live event, “You can have people on the side of the street cheering our veterans on, and there is no replacement for that,” he said.

Organizers are also glad to have the event back on its traditional route in the Central Business District downtown.

The parade was held on the Southside in 2018 and 2019 due to construction work on the I-20/59 freeway bridges downtown. The parade followed a route in Midtown and Parkside, wrapping around Railroad Park and Regions Field.

“We appreciated … everyone accommodating us on the Southside, but the parade’s been on the Northside as long as I can remember,” Ryan said. “It’s a familiar route. You feel like you’re downtown, and people are able to come out of the office buildings.”

It is also easier to stage the parade and get all of the participants in and out on the Northside, Ryan said.

The traditional route follows 19th Street from Eighth Avenue North to Fifth Avenue North, then east to 22nd Street and down to Second Avenue North. From there it proceeds west to 18th Street and back north to Sixth Avenue North.

In addition to the parade, the foundation hosts the annual National Veterans Award Dinner.

The National Veterans Award was created in Birmingham in 1954 after Congress created the new Veterans Day holiday.

This year, the organization will honor service members who have participated in the fight against COVID-19.

The award is typically given to a single veteran. However, since the pandemic began in early 2020, the country has asked “vets and first responders and doctors and nurses to go out and combat an enemy we know little about,” Ryan said.

“I don’t know of anything more brave than someone who can go out and combat the enemy when you don’t know how it will affect you in years to come,” he said.

Organizers “thought it was needed and necessary” to honor these efforts, Ryan said.

The parade usually features Jeeps, trucks and armored personnel carriers, motorcycles, sports cars and other vehicles, as well as marching bands from local high schools and colleges.

However, until about mid-August, organizers were not sure if they would be able to hold the parade live and in person, Ryan said.

At press time, this delay made it difficult for the foundation to know how many entries the parade will have.

“I’m not sure if we will have a full slate of 3,500-5,000 participants because there are still some people who can’t get out due to COVID,” Ryan said.

At least a few World War II and Korean War veterans have typically taken part in the parade in recent years. However, the pandemic makes that more difficult.

“The safety of those vets absolutely comes first,” Ryan said. “We have to leave that to each individual and their families.”

Even those veterans are unable to attend, they can watch the parade, which the foundation will broadcast on their website and on YouTube.

“They will get the message that we love and appreciate them,” Ryan said.

The parade has traditionally drawn as many as 80,000 spectators, but Ryan is reluctant to estimate this year’s attendance.

“I could not even begin to guess how many spectators we will have, but … we are just excited to get our participants on the street and the spectators on the side to watch them,” he said.

“We will just let it unfold as it unfolds, and then move to preparing for next year, which will be our 75th anniversary,” he said.

Ryan, a Trussville businessman, is not a veteran but grew up in a military family.

He believes that Birmingham residents should take Veterans Day seriously, even apart from the city’s strong historical role in the holiday.

“It is absolutely imperative that we take at least one day out of the year and stop what we are doing and show the vets — and the active duty military, as well — that they are appreciated for keeping the nation safe and secure. It is necessary, and not just for our freedoms, but it is what keeps the entire world at peace, at least as much as we can.”

Face coverings are recommended, but not required, for attendees at the National Veterans Award Dinner, and efforts to social distance are recommended.

For more about the parade, the dinner and the National Veterans Day Foundation, call 205-942-5300 or go to nationalveteransday.org.