Veterans Day Parade attracts Large Crowd

The annual Oconee County Veterans Day Parade held in Walhalla on Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018, attracted a large crowd of several thousand onlookers, according to parade chairman George White of the Veterans Council. Grand Marshal Janice Matheson Holbrooks, retired assist county Veterans Affairs service officer, led 40 units of bands, dignitaries, area high school junior ROTC cadets, businesses, church, and civic groups down Walhalla’s Main Street at mid-afternoon. The parade location will rotate to Westminster next year and to Seneca in 2020. White, a decorated Vietnam War combat infantryman and retired Army first sergeant, said patriotism is very strong in the community with many young students responding to participate in the parade and in other Veterans Day activities. This year, Veterans Day also commemorates the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I in 1918.