2020 update: this year the annual Veterans Day parade will not happen live. The parade has been pre-recorded and will be shown on your local PBS station. In honor of Veterans Day, Fresno Christian will not be in school Nov. 11. 

Thousands of people gather in downtown Fresno to honor veterans during the 100th Annual Central Valley Veterans Day Parade, Nov. 11. The parade is the largest Veterans Day Parade in the nation, honoring thousands of veterans and lasting for many hours.

Before the parade started, many different veterans and parade officials spoke in front of city hall honoring Grand Marshall Daniel Payne. Payne is a retired Marine Corps officer, and the president of the non-profit parade committee.

Starting at 11 am, after a flyover of F/A 18 Hornets, taps, and a moment of silence for fallen veterans, the color guard stepped forward, kicking off the parade. Beginning in front of City Hall and ending near Chukchansi Park, bands, color guards, floats and other groups made their way though Fresno’s streets.

The Fresno Christian Marching Band led by Leslie Bannister and FC Color Guard led by Michelle Rodriguez both represented Fresno Christian in the parade.

Veteran and parade attendee Alfred M. Flores, a retired sergeant in the United States Air Force appreciates the recognition Veterans Day gives to those who have served in the armed forces.

“It’s nice that finally people are recognizing what they have gone through:” Flores said. Suffering, being away from home, from families, and then finally someone says thank you, is one of the nicest things one of us can hear.”

The following video displays several highlights of the Veterans Day Parade in downtown Fresno:

For last year’s parade, watch the 99th Annual Veterans Day Parade.

The author can be reached via email: Wesley Hinton, Instagram and Twitter.