The 22nd edition of the Long Beach Veterans Day Parade will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Grand Marshals
Sam Sachs, 103, and Guy Autore, 104, will serve as centenarian grand marshals at this year’s parade.
Sachs served as a glider pilot in World War II. In one flight, he carried munitions and eight soldiers, and under heavy fire, landed safely in France, parade organizers said.
“In those gliders, you were just like a pigeon up there,” he said in statement.
After the war he served with the Army reserves until his retirement 32 years later at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Autore still makes his bed military style, maintains all of his services and regularly plays Scrabble, according to parade organizers.
He served in the Pacific Theater after joining the service at age 26, where he was assigned to the LA National Guard 40th Infantry Division.
He became a captain in the war but remained in the Army Reserves and eventually earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
“I am humbled and honored to be invited to participate as a Grand Marshal in the celebration for our brave men and women who have served, and are serving, in our beautiful military,” he said in a statement.
Also serving as a grand marshal is Terry Geiling, who is president and CEO of the American Gold Star Manor in Long Beach, which is a senior retirement facility for women who lost sons and daughters in the U.S. military, U.S. veterans and other eligible seniors.
Geiling received a commission in the U.S. Navy, serving on the USS Cape, a minesweeper in Long Beach. Later he was assigned to submarines in Pearl Harbor, and made several deployments in the Western Pacific.
After leaving active duty, he remained in the U.S. Naval Reserve and served as a commanding officer of Naval Reserve units in Hawaii.
The celebrity grand marshal, announced Monday, is former Dodger Kenny Landreaux, who was a member of the 1981 World Series champion team (he caught the final out of the series).
Landreaux graduated from Dominguez High School in Compton, and attended Arizona State.
Parade details
The parade will kick off at 10 a.m., starting at Market Street and Atlantic Avenue in North Long Beach, heading north on Atlantic to East Harding Street.
The event draws up to 25,000 attendees and has about 140 entrants.
“After one of our earlier parades, a Vietnam vet told me this was the very first time he was honored for his service,” Val Lerch, chairman of the parade, said in a statement. “Vets from that era never really received a warm welcome home, and he took great pride in being able to participate in this particular parade.”
Festival
Houghton Park to the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library on Atlantic Avenue will be closed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a celebration hosted by Councilman Rex Richardson that will include live music, the Aquarium of the Pacific Aquarium on Wheels, the Animal Care Services Mobile Pet Adoption Vehicle, a “ninja- style” obstacle course, great food, a beer garden, vendor booths, a Kid’s Zone and more.
The street fair will also include “Vets Fest”, a section that will include services for veterans with various resources and a Career Expo.
The full musical lineup includes:
- Knyght Ryder (Playing on the stage at 60th and Atlantic Avenue)
- San Andreas Sisters (Playing on the stage at 60th and Atlantic Avenue)
- Rock for Vets (Playing on the stage at 60th and Atlantic Avenue)
- D.N.A. (Playing at the Michelle Obama Library Learning Garden)
- Katie Jo & the Mijos (Playing at the Michelle Obama Library Learning Garden)