Cleveland County is bringing its Veterans Day parade back to Uptown Shelby on Wednesday, Nov. 11, with the parade set for 10 a.m. The celebration lands on a milestone year, with organizers tying the event to the theme “Honoring All Our Veterans: America's 250th.”
The parade starts at 10 a.m. in Uptown Shelby. It will honor service members, and Cleveland County Veterans Advisory Council members are hosting it in collaboration with Cleveland County Government.
A New Monument Joins Shelby's Veterans Memorials
Few details have been released about the design or inscription of the monument set to debut Nov. 11, but its unveiling adds to a cluster of tributes already standing near the old courthouse that now houses the Earl Scruggs Center. That building sits alongside several existing veterans memorials, according to Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina, a UNC project that documents monuments across the state. Among them is the Cleveland County World War II Memorial, dedicated to county residents who served and those who died during the war, which bears the inscription “In Honor of the Men and Women Who Served From Cleveland County.”
The Cleveland County Veteran Advisory Council has long held its annual Veterans Day program at the historic court square in Shelby, per the same UNC archive.
No lineup of speakers, performers or participating groups for the 2026 ceremony has been announced yet. There is no fee to enter this year's parade, and the deadline to sign up is Nov. 4, according to information posted on clevelandcounty.com. The event is a way to recognize veterans.
