Mixed bag of live and online services for Remembrance Day

Jeff Green | Nov 04, 2020

One of the most revered of all annual events, Remembrance Day Ceremonies, and gatherings at local Legion halls and other locations, will not be taking their normal form this year.

Instead of encouraging as many community members as possible, and gathering school children where possible, to gather at local cenotaphs to pay their respects, organisers are working just as diligently this year to maintain the dignity of the day while being mindful of social distancing and the 25-person limit for public gatherings.

However, one way or another, the sacrifices made by soldiers in the past, will be marked on November 11.

Here is a rundown of events, both live and virtual, across the region.

A small ceremony, led by 3 local churches, will take place at 10:45am on November 11 at Sandhill Cemetery in Battersea. There will be no social time afterwards.

The Sydenham Legion will be holding a service at the Sydenham Cenotaph on the morning of November 11th. However, it will be restricted to 25 members of the Legion Branch 496. Members of the public are welcome to join in virtually by watching a live stream of the services at facebook.com/SydenhamLegion. Organisations that wish to have wreaths placed on the cenotaph may still do so by contacting the branch in advance of Remembrance Day, and arrangements for laying of the wreaths will be made. The phone number at the branch is 613-376-6808 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to make arrangements.

In Verona, the Verona Community Association is once again organising a service this year, but they are requiring pre-registration by those who are planning to attend.

To attend, register at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the full name of each member of the group that is attending, along with a phone number for contact tracing. For more information, look to the Verona column in this paper. The Verona Community Association has received guidance from Canadian Legion Branch 425 (Sharbot Lake) as they were planning this event.

In Sharbot Lake, the live ceremony will be limited to invited guests only. Four official wreaths will be laid, on behalf of the federal and provincial governments, the local legion, and the mother of the cross. Those interested in ordering a wreath are welcome to contact branch 425 President June Crawford at 613-279-3115 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The ceremony will be available for live streaming at 10:45 on November 11 at Facebook.com/SharbotLakeLegion.

There will be a ceremony at the Plevna war memorial at the Clarendon-Miller Hall site on Buckshot Lake Road, organised by North Frontenac Township. The township will be conducting a small private ceremony prior to November 11. The ceremony will be broadcast on the township Facebook page (facebook.com/Township-of-North-Frontenac-1808785456105392) for all to view, at 10:45 am on November 11.

Residents are invited to stop in at the War Memorial in Plevna throughout the day on November 11th, to place a poppy on the pedestal and honour and pay their respects to all Veterans while respecting Covid-19 protocols.

The Arden Legion (Branch 334) will be holding ceremonies this year in 4 locations over 2 days. On Sunday, November 8th ceremonies will be held at the cenotaphs in Denbigh (10:55am) and Flinton (2pm). There will be a limited presence from the military (a vigil party) and the public is invited to attend within the limits of COVID-19 protocols.

The ceremonies at the Mountain Grove and Arden cenotaphs are set for November 11 as normal. The Mountain Grove service will commence at 9:30am and the Arden service at 11am. Again, the public is invited to attend these services within the limits of COVID-19 protocols, social distancing and mask wearing being the key safety elements.

To order wreaths for any of the four locations, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 613-335-4232.

Poppy sales, another feature of the season, are also a challenge this year. Poppies are readily available at most local stores, but legion members who usually take turns selling them at high traffic locations, are not selling them at all this year, because of COVID-19 safety restrictions, which is resulting in decreased sales.

“All of the money we receive from poppy sales goes to the health and welfare of veterans. None of it can be used for our operating costs,” said June Crawford of the Sharbot Lake Legion, a message that was repeated by Ken Scobie in Arden.

“We get to choose from a few charities each year, but aside from saving enough to buy the poppies the following year, the money is split between them.

The three local legions all report that, it has been a struggle, but they are holding their own, thus far. Although they were shut for a few months at the beginning of the pandemic, they are all open now. Hours of operation and programming have been affected, however.

“These changes to Remembrance Day are just one of the surprises we have been hit with this year,” said Ken Scobie.