As chairperson for the 2024 Los Banos Veterans Parade, I’m excited to announce that the entry form to participate in the parade is now available on our website.
If you are a veteran, family of a veteran, an organization, an individual or a business that wants to show support for our veterans and be in the parade, please complete the online entry form, located at losbanosveterans.org and click on the veterans parade tab and then the drop down menu for parade entry.
Did you know that several years ago, the local Los Banos Veterans, which is made up of both the American Legion Post #166 and the VFW Post #2487, decided to take on the task of organizing and presenting the parade? Basically, it’s veterans putting on the Veterans Parade.
This year the parade will be held on Nov. 2, at 11 a.m. While all veterans are honored, this year’s theme is Salute to the Coast Guard.
Some people wonder why the Los Banos Veterans Parade is not held on Veterans Day. The reason for this comes down to competition and conflict. Fresno’s Veterans Parade is the largest parade west of the Mississippi. Plus, we need to factor in a larger city like Merced, who also has their parade on Veterans Day.
After careful consideration, we knew our town could not compete and our entries and spectators would have to choose which parade to attend. So, it was decided to have the Los Banos Veterans Parade the first Saturday of November in order to allow greater participation and attendance.
Additionally, our local Veterans are very busy on Veterans Day putting out and picking up flags around town for those who participate in the flag program fundraiser.
If you have any questions or wish to have a paper entry form mailed to you, feel free to contact Parade Chairperson, Patricia McCoy at 209-587-5033 or send an email to lbveteransparade@gmail.com.
