Veterans Day Parade returns to Colorado Springs this weekend | Arts and entertainment

The Colorado Springs Veteran's Day Parade is returning after a previously announced cancellation.

The parade, scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday, was revived by the same organization that puts on the St. Patrick's Day parade downtown – Colorado International Events. When it was announced that the parade would be canceled due to low turnout, outcry from community members prompted John O'Donnell, owner of Colorado International Events, to step in. The disappointment is no surprise considering an estimated 90,000 veterans live in the Springs.

“We just couldn’t say no,” O’Donnell said, adding that they had received calls from the mayor, local businesses and other community members about the acquisition.

The new event is called “In Their Honor Veteran’s Day Parade.” The parade features more than 100 participants, including numerous local veterans organizations, college and high school ROTC programs, and most branches of the military. O'Donnell expects to hand out more than 7,000 American flags at the event. World War II-era aircraft will also fly over during the event.

The Air Force Academy Band and the 4th Infantry Division Army Band at Fort Carson will lead the parade down Tejon Street and perform together. Seven bands will perform during the parade. The grand marshal for this year's parade will be Lt. Gen. David Miller of the U.S. Space Command.

“We expect the streets to be very, very busy,” O'Donnell said.

The O'Donnells originally hosted the annual Veteran's Day Parade in Colorado Springs from 1993 to 1999. In 2000, the parade was taken over by Colorado Springs Veterans Day Inc. Now the ball is back in the O'Donnells' court.

More good news: The bills were covered thanks to generous private donors, O'Donnell said.

“It was the right thing to do,” O’Donnell said. “It was worth it. We've been doing this for a long time, so a lot of people know us, and I'm not the type to make my own conclusions, but when you go home at night you're like, 'Man, your friends are out there, and.' You help make this work.' So that’s the beauty of it and we really appreciate it.”