Steinbach Legion moves Remembrance Day service to Southeast Event Centre

The Royal Canadian Legion is holding the Remembrance Day service on Nov. 11 at the Southeast Event Centre for the first time.

“We’re pretty excited about this year’s event. We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion in Canada and the 80th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Legion branch here in Steinbach,” Bill Richards, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 190, said.

The event will be held at the Centre’s SCU Gymnasium and Hall. The doors will open at 10:15 a.m., and the service will begin at 11 a.m.

“For the past years, we’ve noticed an increase in the number of people wanting to attend the service,” Richards said. “When I first became a member of this particular branch, we would maybe have 200, sometimes 150, and now we’re at 500.”

Rev. Tim Perry, lead pastor at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, will lead the spiritual portion of the service, alongside a brass quintet led by Scott Peters.

The ceremony will also include the Last Post and will feature the 307 Steinbach Royal Canadian Air Cadets Squadron and the Dawson Trail Sea Cadets.

Refreshments will be available after the service, followed by a march to the Steinbach Cenotaph on Main Street.

The Legion encourages the community to wear a poppy to remember the sacrifices made by Canadian service members.

“We are very thankful for the great participation of the cadets, both the air cadets and the sea cadets for their tremendous support,” Richards said. “Without them we would have a very difficult time putting together this service and having such a successful poppy campaign.”