EMPORIA (KSNT) – Emporia, the founding city of Veterans Day, will honor those who served on Nov. 11, with a parade and a memorial ceremony at Soden’s Grove park.

The parade is scheduled to launch from 4th Street and Commercial Street at 9:30 a.m. and should last about 45 minutes, according to American Legion #5 which organizes the event. At 11 a.m., a service will be held at the All Veterans Memorial at Soden’s Grove on the south end of town.

Veterans Day was first celebrated in the city of Emporia back in 1953. According to Visit Emporia, it was local resident Alvin King who proposed Armistice Day be changed to Veterans Day to recognize all veterans from all wars and conflicts.

An Emporia Congressman, Ed Rees, took King’s proposal to President Dwight Eisenhower who signed a bill proclaiming Nov. 11 Veterans Day. Visitors to the city this year will see 266 banners on display on Commercial Street honoring veterans with Emporia connections.

The banners have grown in popularity since 2014 when Emporia Main Street displayed 40 banners. In 2022, 266 will be hung, each featuring a veteran with connections to Emporia.