Thank you to the more than 50 veterans’ organizations and community groups who joined us for the 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade.
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Generals Hogan and Arflack welcome veterans parade back to Lexington
The following press release was issued by the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.
FRANKFORT, Ky (Oct. 26, 2017) Major General Stephen R. Hogan, Kentucky’s Adjutant General, and Norman E. Arflack, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs (KDVA) will be the special guests at the new Lexington Veterans Day Parade November 11.
It marks the return of the Lexington parade after a five-year hiatus.
“I’m proud to stand with other Kentucky Veterans,” said Maj. Gen. Hogan. “It’s an honor to participate alongside my fellow Service members and their families and friends and show appreciation to all of those who have served.”
“Many people have missed the Lexington Veterans Parade and are happy to see it return,” Commissioner Arflack said. “I am honored to be there to welcome it back and honor Lexington’s veterans.”
The Veterans Day event begins on Saturday, Nov. 11 with a Veterans Day Kickoff Service at 1:30 p.m. The parade starts at 2 p.m.
The parade begins on Main Street at Midland Avenue and proceeds west to Mill Street. The reviewing stand is in front of the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza across from Phoenix Park.
Participants include the William Sutherland Reid Pipe and Drums, the Bluegrass Corvette Club, NiVets Employee Resource Group, the Lexington DAR Chapter, Congressman Andy Barr, Amazon, the Lexington Fire Department, the Lexington Legends and many more.
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade is produced by the City of Lexington and sponsored by VRUCK – the Veterans Resource United Central/Southestern Kentucky.
Returning this year to downtown Lexington, the 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade is the culmination of a series of events highlighting the contributions of Central Kentucky’s veterans. During the 2017 Week of Valor, local organizations and community partners are hosting multiple events celebrating veterans.
Lexington Veterans Day Parade names grand marshals for 2017
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee has selected two central Kentucky residents as grand marshals for the city’s 2017 parade. This year’s grand marshals, Micki King and Matthew Bradford, represent two of America’s armed services and both are groundbreaking in their accomplishments.
Micki King retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Colonel after serving 26 years on active duty. In 1972, King represented the United States in Munich as a member of the U.S. Olympic diving team. She won a gold medal in the springboard diving competition. In Lexington, King served as an assistant athletic director at the University of Kentucky, where she worked for 14 years.
King remains active in the community, working with the Girl Scouts Regional Council in Kentucky. She also works with the US Olympians/Paralympians project at World Fit, an organization that is taking action against child obesity. King serves on the board of trustees for the USA Diving Foundation.
Matthew Bradford served in the U.S. Marine Corps for seven years. In 2007, he was severely injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, losing his sight and both legs to amputation. After years of rehabilitation, Bradford, in 2010, became the first blind, double amputee to re-enlist in the Marine Corps and served in the Wounded Warrior Battalion until 2012.
In May 2017, Bradford graduated from UK with degrees in History and Media Arts and Studies. He is currently serving as a national security fellow in Congressman Andy Barr’s office, focusing on veterans’ outreach. A participant in hand-cycle marathons and Spartan races, Bradford lives his life with the motto “No legs, no vision, no problem.”
Join us for the parade, Week of Valor
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee continues to accept entries for the 2017 parade. Applications for parade participants can be found online at http://lexveteransdayparade.org/. Parade entry forms are due by October 31.
The parade is sponsored by the Veterans Resource United Central/Southeastern KY (VRUCK), in partnership with the City of Lexington and the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Trust Fund. Media partners include ABC 36-WTVQ and Cumulus Media.
The 2017 Week of Valor is a series of community events throughout Central Kentucky that will take place beginning November 4. Each event pays tribute to our veterans or supports those still serving. The full schedule for the Week of Valor is posted on the parade website.
Follow @LexVeteransDay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information, event updates and day of coverage. Parade participants and attendees are encouraged to share their photos online, tag @LexVeteransDay and use #LexVeteransDay2017.
Lexington Veterans Day Parade wraps up Week of Valor honoring Central Kentucky veterans
(Updated 10/24/2017)
Returning this year to downtown Lexington, the 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade is the culmination of a series of events highlighting the contributions of Central Kentucky’s veterans. During the 2017 Week of Valor, local organizations and community partners are hosting multiple events celebrating veterans.
On Friday, Nov. 3, the City of Lexington will issue a proclamation declaring the Week of Valor.
Events kick off Saturday, Nov. 4 with the Salute to Veterans at the University of Kentucky football game against the University of Mississippi. On Sunday, Nov. 5, the Lexington VA Medical Center is the site of the VA5K, a run to benefit the Fisher House Foundation.
Women Veterans will be honored Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Lexington Senior Center with a dinner. The event is free, but registration is required via this link. Wednesday evening from 6 – 8 p.m., the community is invited to gather at the Kentucky National Guard Armory to help pack holiday gift boxes to send to members of the military currently deployed overseas.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, Kentucky State University will host a veterans’ recognition event on campus in Bradford Hall at 11 a.m.
A new veterans monument will be dedicated in Lexington’s historic Cove Haven Cemetery on Friday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. The monument recognizes the nearly 500 African-American Veterans laid to rest at Cove Haven who served from the Civil War through modern military conflicts.
Friday evening at 6 p.m. a Veterans Employment Roadmap public forum will held at the Lexington Lions Pavilion at the Bluegrass Fairgrounds at Masterson Station Park. The moderated panel discussion will focus on veteran employment issues, from both the veterans and hiring official’s perspective.
Saturday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day and a number of public events are taking place throughout central Kentucky.
- 10 a.m. – Appreciation Event at Veterans Park, Lexington
- 11 a.m. – Thomson-Hood Veterans Day Ceremony, Wilmore
- 11 a.m. – Camp Nelson National Cemetery Veterans Day Ceremony, Nicholasville
- 1 p.m. – Veterans Day Celebration, including a performance by the Lexington Singers and remarks from community leaders, downtown Lexington
- 2 p.m. – 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade, downtown Lexington
For details on any of the Week of Valor events, visit the Lexington Veterans Day Parade Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LexVeteransDay/events/.
Parade entries open
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee continues to accept entries for the 2017 parade. Applications for parade participants can be found online at http://lexveteransdayparade.org/. Parade entry forms are due by October 31.
The parade is sponsored by the Veterans Resource United Central/Southeastern KY (VRUCK), in partnership with the City of Lexington and the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs Trust Fund. Media partners include ABC 36-WTVQ and Cumulus Media.
Follow @LexVeteransDay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information, event updates and day of coverage. Parade participants and attendees are encouraged to share their photos online, tag @LexVeteransDay and use #LexVeteransDay2017.
Join us for the 2017 Week of Valor honoring central Kentucky’s Veterans
Entries being accepted for 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade
The Lexington Veterans Day Parade committee is now accepting entries for the 2017 parade, to be held at 2 p.m. on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11.
“The parade salutes our Veterans, active members of the U.S. military and their families,” said Rev. Dr. Jim Thurman, parade committee co-chair and Army Veteran. “We’re excited to be able to bring the Veterans Day parade back to downtown Lexington and into the heart of our community.”
Applications for parade participants and vendors can be found online at the newly launched website http://lexveteransdayparade.org/. Parade entry forms are due by October 31.
Follow @LexVeteransDay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for information, event updates and day of coverage. Parade participants and attendees are encouraged to share their photos online, tag @LexVeteransDay and use #LexVeteransDay2017.
Welcome to our website!
We’re just getting started, but this is where you’ll be able to find information, parade applications and more for the 2017 Lexington Veterans Day Parade.