Midwest City Veterans Day Parade set for Friday

MIDWEST CITY — The 75th Anniversary edition of the annual Veterans Day Parade, co-sponsored by the City of Midwest City and the Midwest City Chamber of Commerce, is set for 10 a.m. Friday.

The parade will begin at the intersection of Century Boulevard and SE 15 Street, travel east to Douglas Bouleverd, north to Reno Avenue, and west to Morris McGee Avenue, where it will conclude.

The parade co-grand marshals for this year are Eugenia Atkinson Davis (daughter of Midwest City founder, W.P. “Bill” and Rubye Atkinson) and retired World War II Army Air Corps pilot Virgil Kinnison.

Set to kickoff the event will be an F-16 flyover, featuring two F-16s representing the 138th Fighter Wing of Tulsa. Following this, attendees will be treated to another flyover featuring the War Birds, a vintage World War II aircraft group from Tulsa. The War Birds will be flying the T-6 Texan aircrafts, which are singleengine advanced trainer aircraft that were used to train pilots of the U.S. Army Air Force, U.S. Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s.

Once again, leading the parade will be the Naval Reserve seven-story Stars and Strips Flag, which measures 50 feet by 76 feet and weighs 110 pounds. More than 100 flag team volunteers will be represent community businesses and volunteers.

Another feature of this year’s parade will be the Express Clydesdales, which will carry the parade co-grand marshals.

The parade will feature nearly 75 entries, including the Disabled American Veterans, marching bands, displays from Tinker Air Force Base, ROTC units and much more.