Parade entries being sought for patriotic tribute

Mission, TX- Each year, thousands of people unite to commemorate Veterans Day, a holiday that honors all those who have served the country in war or peace — dead or alive — although it is largely intended to thank living veterans for their sacrifices. This year, the City of Mission is honoring local military heroes with its weekend-long Mission Veterans Festival beginning Friday, Nov. 8, with a flag-laying ceremony at the RGV State Veterans Ceremony. 

“Veterans Day is not just a chance to enjoy an extra day off from work or school. We want to make sure our community recognizes its true purpose,” Mayor Dr. Armando O’Caña said. “We must acknowledge the men and women who have served in our armed forces and we’re hoping that some World War II and Korean War veterans join us. We need our citizens to come out and wear their red, white and blue, bring the family and honor our heroes with this exciting new event.”

The theme for the festival is, “Our Mission is Service.” Saturday, Nov. 9 the full-day celebration kicks off with the Mission Veterans Day Parade at 3 p.m. The procession begins at Leo Peña Placita Park, runs east on Business-83 to Bryan Road and ends at the CEED building. The festive parade will showcases floats, RGV veterans, military vehicles, festooned golf carts and local marching bands. A military flyover is being scheduled for the parade. The procession is expected to wrap up by 5 p.m.

Community members can then take part in the Mission Veterans Day Festival from 5 p.m. until midnight outside the CEED building in conjunction with the 5 x 5 Brewing Company. There will be plenty of family-friendly entertainment including live local music performances. Taste-tempting delights are available for purchase from several food trucks and vendors. Military vehicles are being sought for display at the festival. In addition, veterans’ organizations will be on hand to promote military services and government resources available to veterans.

“We will also be having a chili cook-off at 5×5 on Sunday between five veteran teams to include the army, marine corps, navy, air force and the coast guard,” Sean Downey, Brand Manager of the 5×5 Brewing Company said. “The winner will be decided by the people’s choice so it should be a good showdown.”

The celebration recognizing military men and women continues Monday Nov. 11. A golf tournament, will be held at Shary Municipal Golf Course and will be FREE for all veterans. Ready Tee Golf has teamed up with the City of Mission for the first-of-its-kind Veterans Day Golf Tournament. The “Fairway to Freedom” is a 3-man Florida scramble.

“We want this weekend to lead into Veterans Day and for our men and women in uniform, past, present, and future to know that we cannot thank them enough,” Mayor O’Caña said.

The Texas Citrus Fiesta, Inc. (TCF) is currently accepting entries for this year’s parade. Businesses, veterans groups, youth and nonprofit organizations are invited to participate. All entries should feature a patriotic theme and applications must be turned into the TCF office.

“We would love to see decorated golf carts, patriotic floats and military vehicles,” TCF Director Lisa Rivera, said. “This is the perfect opportunity to highlight and honor our local heroes so we want to see plenty of parade entries.”

Parade entry forms are available online at www.missionvetfest.com or at the Texas Citrus Office, 220 E. 9^th Street.  The deadline to apply is Nov. 5, 2019. TCF is also handling registration forms for the Salute to Veterans Cook-off, an IBCA sanctioned event. There will be $5,000 in cash and prizes available to the winning teams. Sponsorship opportunities are available to local businesses. For more information, please contact 956.585.9724.

Time	Program	Location
3 PM	Veterans Day Parade	Downtown Mission
9-5 PM	Saluting Our Veterans Cook-Off	Bryan & Bus. 83
9 PM	Mission Veterans Day Festival	CEED Building, 5 x 5 Brewing Co. Bryan & Bus. 83