The local Legion president presented a poppy to Castlegar’s mayor Wednesday morning, kicking off the 2017 poppy campaign.
Bob Brommeland, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 170 Castlegar/Robson, presented Mayor Lawrence Chernoff with the first poppy of the year in the lobby of City Hall.
The presentation launches the campaign that will see Legion members, Air Cadets and other volunteers handing out poppies and collecting donations outside local businesses on Friday and Sunday.
Poppy donation boxes will also be available at local businesses until Nov. 11, when the Legion will hold its annual parade and ceremony.
The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. on 3rd Street, north of Columbia Avenue, and will then proceed to the cenotaph at Kinsmen Park, where wreaths will be laid.
Anyone interested in purchasing a wreath can contact the Legion at 250-365-7017.
Money collected during the poppy campaign goes to support veterans in need, toward scholarships for relatives of veterans and the Legion also supports the Air Cadets.