The annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, sponsored by the Allen County Council of Veterans Organizations, is being cancelled due to COVID-19 and the restrictions set forth by Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and the “Back on Track Indiana Plan.”

However, the council is excited to announce that a parade on Parnell Avenue and a ceremony at Memorial Coliseum will take place on Saturday, July 4 in honor of Independence Day. The parade line up will start at 10:00 a.m. at the corner of State Street and Parnell Avenue. The parade will start at 11:00 a.m. and travel north on Parnell Avenue to the Memorial Coliseum.

Guests attending the Independence Day ceremony will be directed to enter the Parnell Avenue employee parking lot entrance at the west side of the complex. The ceremony will be held immediately following the parade just outside of the Coliseum Memorial Hall at Veterans Plaza.

For more information about the Independence Day Parade and Ceremony, visit the Allen County Council of Veterans Organizations website at accov.weebly.com, visit them on Facebook or contact James Olds at jhso3@msn.com.

Additionally, the Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum, located at 2122 O’Day Road in Fort Wayne, has also cancelled all gatherings at the pavilion and museum on Memorial Day weekend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.