The 107th annual Veterans Day Parade was scheduled to step off at 11 a.m. Wednesday from the intersection of North Granada Avenue and West Alameda Street. The procession was planned to honor the city's veterans on the holiday that bears their name.
The parade is organized annually by the Tucson Veterans Day Parade Foundation, according to tucson.com. The foundation says the event is meant to honor veterans and to help teach gratitude and leadership, according to KVOA. This year's central theme was a celebration of 250 years of freedom, the outlet reports.
According to KVOA, the route was scheduled to proceed north on Granada Avenue, east on Franklin Street, then south on Church Avenue before ending back at its starting point on Alameda Street. Along the way, the parade was set to loop around El Charro Café Downtown and the Tucson Museum of Art, per tucson.com's reporting. The parade was scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and could last up to two hours, according to KOLD.
Street Closures Began Hours Before Step-Off
Road closures tied to the parade were scheduled to begin at 8 a.m., with roads expected to reopen as soon as possible after the parade, per KOLD's report. Listed closure areas included Alameda Street, from Manning House Way to Church to 6th Avenue, as well as Granada, from Franklin to Congress to Alameda, the station notes.
This year's sponsors included Desert Diamond Casino, Larry H. Miller Dodge Ram Fiat Tucson and the City of Tucson, according to tucson.com. The parade was emceed by 13 News anchor Dan Marries, KOLD reports.
A Tradition With Decades of History
A Tradition With Decades of History
The 107th annual parade was scheduled for downtown Tucson, continuing a Veterans Day tradition more than a century old.
