The city partners with the Veterans of Foreign Wars, or VFW, to organize the event each year. This free event offers activities for attendees of all ages to enjoy.
“The City of Roanoke aims to honor our veterans through the ceremony and the parade,” said Diane Rice, Roanoke’s Communications and Public Engagement Officer. “The event is an opportunity to thank our vets and acknowledge everything that they've done for us and for our country and for our community.”
Classic car show
The day begins at 10 a.m. with the opening of the classic car show. The city partners with Time Machine car shows to display classic American cars.
About 50 people will bring their classic cars to the show this year, Rice said.
“Guests can vote for their favorite car and that's a really fun way to participate,” she said. “Car show participants enjoy chatting with visitors and telling stories about their cars, which adds to the fun.”
After attendees cast their votes, the car show awards will be given out at 1:30 p.m.
Veterans Day Ceremony and Parade
The ceremony begins at noon and will include a speech from Roanoke’s Mayor, Carl "Scooter" Gierisch, Jr., as well as other area mayors. Rice said in past years the VWF has invited World War II vets and a retired colonel to speak about their experiences.
“When the ceremony ends, someone will sing the national anthem and that kicks off our parade,” Rice said.
The parade includes motorcycle clubs, members of the junior ROTC and other veteran-centric organizations.
Rice said she hopes people will make plans to stay in Roanoke after the ceremony and parade.
“We'll have live music and kids activities and all kinds of stuff to make sure that people get to stay after the ceremony and parade are over and enjoy the rest of the day in Roanoke,” she said.
Oak Street Cook-Off
The cook-off began a couple of years ago as a chili cook-off, but in an effort to introduce Ronaoke’s unique dining scene to visitors, the city decided to restructure this aspect of the festival.
The city partners with several Oak Street restaurants and each eatery prepares about 500 samples of their signature dish. After guests taste food from each participating restaurant, they can scan a QR code to cast their vote for the winning restaurant.
“We really want people to be able to enjoy all of the unique dining options Roanoke has to offer,” Rice said. “Our goal and hope with all of our events is that people fall in love with Roanoke as much as we love it, and they'll keep coming back to enjoy our amazing city.”
What attendees need to know
Parking is expected to be simple and free, Rice said. Additionally, all of the activities at this event are free.
“Like all of our Roanoke events, this one is completely free to the public so people can come and enjoy all of it free of cost,” she said.
Coming soon
The event season has just begun in Roanoke. Here is a look at events to come throughout the holiday season.
Dec. 2: Hometown Holiday Street Festival
- This is an all-day, free festival that includes a tree lighting, a parade, live music, a skating rink, pictures with Santa and more.
- Breakfast with Santa is a ticketed event. Tickets are $10 and include breakfast, pictures with Santa and Roanoke’s first responders are present to serve breakfast and hang out with participants.
“All of our events really capture our small town charm,” Rice said. “We have a small town charm and a big city heart and I think that that is really at the center of this Veterans Day event.”
Visit Roanoke’s website to plan your visit to the Veterans Parade, Car Show and Cook-Off event.
The above story was produced by Multi-Platform Journalist Mary Katherine Shapiro with Community Impact's Storytelling team with information solely provided by the local business as part of their "sponsored content" purchase through our advertising team.
