Andy Schildhorn recalled the early days of the Fort Langley Remembrance Day service, when just a handful of people attended.
"I was in the fire department, and one person heard that it was going to be happening, and so we phoned everybody and we just showed up in whatever uniforms we had," Schildhorn said. "It was a very, very small group."
That was in 2000, the year after Fort Langley resident Brenda Alberts looked out her window to see a lone veteran standing by the cenotaph.
Alberts put on a coat and went over to stand with him and Gord Gillard, to say a prayer for the fallen. Afterwards, she asked Sheila Puls, a friend who attended the Anglican church, if there could be a small service at the cenotaph the following year “as no veteran should stand alone to remember."
Over the years, the event has grown considerably, and Schildhorn, now the chair of the Fort Langley Remembrance Committee, was expecting thousands to attend on Nov. 11.
It likely won't be a record, however.
During the pandemic, Schildhorn said, there was a drop in attendance, and that hasn't fully recovered.
"We had bigger numbers before COVID, and we're still not quite back to those numbers," Schildhorn said.
"We're glad to have that behind us."
One legacy of the pandemic, presenting the event online, has continued.
"I'll be talking with a videographer , hopefully to put it all together and make sure that we'll be live streaming for those that can't make it," Schildhorn said.
The service will be broadcast on www.FortLangleyRemembers.com and on Facebook page fortlangleyremembrance starting at 10:15 am, Nov 11.
Fewer veterans will be taking part this year.
"Those numbers have gone down considerably," Schildhorn told the Langley Advance Times. "Before the ceremony I usually walk over and shake their hands and [every year] I notice that there are fewer and fewer hands to shake"
Schildhorn issued a thank-you to Fort Langley's Beatniks Bistro, which provides blankets to help older participants keep warm.
The Fort Langley Remembrance Day Service is a joint effort of the Fort Langley Remembrance Day Committee and the Fort Langley Lions Club.
The committee is an all-volunteer group that has funding from Veterans Affairs Canada and Langley Township.
"This is a real grassroots community group," Schildhonr said.
"We're there for only that [Remebrance Day], and that one purpose, and then we go back to doing our separate lives. I feel grateful to be working with the people that I'm working with.
As with past years, an area of the cemetery at 23105 St. Andrews Ave. will be cordoned off for those participating.
There will be no public access at the cenotaph until after the service at 12 p.m. for laying poppies.
The procession starts at the west end of the Fort Langley Cemetery, near the intersection of St. Andrew’s and Nash Streets led by a piper and a colour party followed by veterans, active members of the Armed Forces, members of the clergy, RCMP, armed forces cadets, fire ddepartment, elected officials, Kwantlen elders, and members of the scouting and guiding movements.
At that time, all uniformed service personnel will be invited to join the procession.
It will make its way toward the cenotaph following the gravel and grassed roadways within the cemetery’s boundaries, passing by the graves of close to 300 veterans buried in the cemetery.
People already assembled near the cenotaph will be able to view the procession as it approaches the site. Reserved parking is available for veterans, the elderly and the disabled at St. Andrews Church, 9025 Glover Road.
One addition to the service this year will be fiddler Keith Hill, who will perform "The Warriors Lament."
READ ALSO: It started with two: Fort Remembrance Day ceremony had humble beginnings
READ ALSO: LEST WE FORGET: Fort Langley gathers to remember the fallen
