Lana Carlisle, who is helping organize the Veterans Day Parade in Emory, said working on the event with family and friends is a blessing and rewarding. She helped with the parade before the Covid pandemic, then took a break after the death of her husband, Jerry Carlisle, an Air Force veteran. She returned to the event three years ago.
The parade will travel down Hwy. 19 on November 7 at 11:00 a.m. and will last about 30 minutes, Carlisle said. A ceremony on the square will follow to celebrate the country's 250th birthday. Carlisle named Griselda Chalk, president of the American Legion Post 156 Auxiliary, and Karen Young, the grand marshal, among those involved. The Rains County Road and Bridge Department and the Sheriff's Office are putting out flags.
Carlisle said several participants will be in costume. Her brother-in-law will be dressed as Captain America, her son-in-law as Abraham Lincoln, and friends as George and Martha Washington on a float with a Liberty Bell. Floats will also carry themes about Vietnam, Pearl Harbor and other conflicts, with music for each era.