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City Council agrees to contribute $10,000 to the annual Veterans Day Parade

The Lincoln Journal Star - 10/4/2021

Oct. 5—The annual Veterans Day Parade — an event begun three years ago and put on hold last year because of the pandemic — is back.

The Lincoln City Council on Monday agreed to contribute up to $10,000 for the event begun in 2018 by a nonprofit called Lincoln Veterans Parade Group.

Antonio Marino, who is part of the group planning the Nov. 7 parade that will run along K Street between South 21st Street and South 14th Street, told the council he was appreciative of the event and that Lincoln's help has been invaluable to help cover expenses.

The event, he said, is an important way to honor veterans, and this year will be serve as one of the events that will help establish a sense of normalcy after last year's pandemic shutdown.

The proposed budget for city-covered expenses totals about $8,450 for off-duty police officers, road barricades, portable toilets, insurance and a city permit.

Former Councilman Roy Christensen, who is part of the parade group, said although the budget is estimated at less than $10,000, the group would like to have access to that amount in case expenses are higher than anticipated.

The $10,000 will come from the city's operating contingency budget and from reappropriated funds.

So far, Marino said, six marching bands have confirmed participation, as have more than 50 organizations. There will be two grand marshals, and University of Nebraska President Ted Carter, who served in the U.S. Navy for 38 years, including as superintendent of his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy, will be an honored guest.

Christensen said the parade costs three to four times what the city contributes, the rest raised by the group, which donates proceeds to various organizations.

About 200 people attended the first parade, held on a chilly morning, and in 2019 there were hundreds in attendance, Christensen said.

The 2018 event was the first city parade since the Star City Holiday Parade was canceled in 2010, when the city ended its $74,000 subsidy for that event.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com.

On Twitter @LJSreist

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