Remembrance Day events scheduled in Regina

With Remembrance Day just around the corner, ceremonies are being organized across the province.

In Regina, the Royal Canadian Legion has two events scheduled, one of which is an indoor ceremony taking place at the Brandt Centre. Another is an outdoor ceremony taking place at the Victoria Park Cenotaph.

Henry Sobchyshyn of the Legion said the ceremonies will be different from one another.

“The one at the Brandt Centre will be more of a show, and it’s being broadcast on cable Access television,” he said. “It starts at 10:30, but at 10, there’s things happening on the ice surface. It goes until about 11:30 with the military and police parade and that kind of thing.

“The one outside is mostly co-ordinated by the Cadet Corps, but there is other participation from the public and from agencies like the city police and the fire department and things like that.”

He said many lives were lost in order for Canadians to have the freedom they have today.

“It goes back to the old saying that freedom isn’t free,” Sobchyshyn said. “We live in one of the best countries in the world, and that wasn’t just by accident.

“People had to actually go out and give their lives so that we could have and enjoy the kinds of freedoms that we have today. The least we can do is try and honour them and remember what their service was and their sacrifice.”

Any veterans wishing to take part in this year’s Remembrance Day ceremonies are asked to go to the Brandt Centre, identify themselves, and be part of the veterans’ company march. Doors open for the Brandt Centre’s ceremony at 9 a.m., and the event will run from 10 a.m. until 11:45 a.m.

Other events taking place across the city for this year’s Remembrance Day include “Tommy Goes to War,” a one-person performance showing a glimpse into the life of a young farm boy turned soldier as he prepares to face The War to End All Wars.

The special presentation will take place at Government House, 4607 Dewdney Ave. in Regina on Thursday, running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Preregistration is required, and can be done online.

A feature exhibit, which is to be open until Sunday, displays replicas of Lt. Robert Combe’s Victoria Cross, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Combe was one of 15 Saskatchewan recipients of the Victoria Cross.

Another event taking place on Remembrance Day is the Nightingale’s Wartime Tribute. The Nightingales will perform their annual musical tribute to veterans, performing songs from the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s.

That event is to take place at The Artesian in Regina, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.