Beverly Memorial Cenotaph turns 100, but COVID will limit Nov. 11 ceremonies

The Remembrance Day ceremony at Alberta's oldest cenotaph will be scaled back this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Joe Luce, chairman of the Beverly Memorial Cenotaph Committee, said they had to move the 100-year anniversary ball to October of 2021. But Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held Nov. 11 this year, albeit, in a COVID-SAFE manner.

“Because COVID-19 added a lot more work into planning for red tape, having to go through AHS, having to go through City of Edmonton,” Luce said. “We have to take what we can get and just suck it up basically and we will. We understand that everyone is going through this COVID thing and we'll just power through it best we can.”

Fewer wreaths will be laid this year, with only certain people able to lay them, and only 100 people on a prearranged list will be allowed to enter the ceremony. The committee has also had to cancel the usual parade down 118 Avenue; the public is being asked to watch the proceedings online.

Luce is now working on having a military flyby take place during the ceremony, however that is not yet confirmed.

“We just have to get the OK from the general and then once I have

word that it's confirmed I'll let everyone know about it,” Luce said. “We're looking at a CF-18 or the griffin helicopters flying by. We're trying to spice it up as best we can.”

He said volunteers will be on-site to ensure anyone who gathers on the sidewalk outside the ceremony is maintaining physical distancing and wearing a mask.

“We just want everyone to stay safe,” Luce said. “And if they can, watch from home.”

Current Alberta Health guidelines limit outdoor gatherings to 100 people.

Alberta's chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said

Remembrance Day is an important date to mark, but cautioned observers to do so in a safe way.

“The guidance that we have with respect to gatherings, both indoors and outdoors, would apply to any gatherings whether that is Remembrance Day or anything else,” said Hinshaw during an update last Friday. “I would encourage organizers of those events to have a look at gathering guidance.”

She also encouraged organizers to implement screening for symptoms, make sure people are distanced and that masks are worn.

LARRY WONG FILES The Beverly Memorial Cenotaph in northeast Edmonton, the oldest war memorial in Alberta, is dedicated to soldiers who fought and died in wars starting with the First World War.