Veterans Day Parade in Shasta Lake

The Shasta Lake Lions Club hosted the 25th annual Veterans Day Parade.  It was held on Sat. Nov. 4.  This parade in Shasta Lake is known for being the largest north of Stockton, maybe even Fresno.  Fresno holds the largest Veterans Day Parade west of the Mississippi.

There were more than 100 entries which included veterans, veteran groups, scout troops, businesses supporting veterans, the Spirit Squad, and school bands played as they marched down Shasta Dam Blvd.  And let’s not forget the MIAP (Missing In America Project).  The MIAP group searches for the cremated remains of the forgotten; those without families, and the veterans are granted a proper burial.

Carl Bott of radio KCNR 1460 AM  was the main announcer on the receiving stand.  Shortly after Carl made announcements to open the parade, Erin Woodward sang the National Anthem, with an amazing rendition of the song.  She was pitch perfect.  Erin hit every note with power and with humble grace in her voice.  Beautiful, just beautiful!  And there was a fly over by a vintage WWII plane.  The sound of the plane zooming low to the crowd added a sense of drama and intrigue.  My photo of the American flag at the end of the photos was taken as it flew over Shasta Dam Blvd. for the parade.  I removed the boom from the photo that the flag hung from because I thought it distracted from the glory of the flag waving in the wind.

Veterans Day coincides with Armistice Day, which is celebrated in other countries to mark the anniversary of the end of World War I.    Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918.  That’s when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States observed Armistice Day until the U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

I wish I could post pictures from all entries in the parade, but there were too many.  Here’s a handful of images.  It should be noted the parade was held a week early so people could attend an event at the Igo Northern California Veterans Cemetery on Veterans Day.  This year a new monument will be unveiled to honor the Air Force.

Steve DuBois

For many years Steve DuBois has enjoyed taking photos of his dogs in interesting and unusual places. He created a photo book of his dogs especially for the children at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, where he donated several copies. He loves that the kids enjoy seeing his dogs photographed in unusual ways. Steve says his dogs have been his photographic inspiration and motivation, but sometimes he tries his hand at nature shots, such as the photos he captured of the north state’s 2017 flooding, published here on A News Cafe.com. Steve DuBois lives in Redding.