Phoenix Veterans Day parade on Saturday, Nov. 11

The Phoenix Veterans Day Parade is set for Saturday, Nov. 11. The theme is “Never Forget. Forever Honor.”

Kim Alexis, supermodel and celebrity Grand Marshal, and Paula Pedene, executive director of Honoring America’s Veterans, joined Arizona Horizon to discuss the parade. They also discussed the “Honor Our Heroes” program.

“When we have a drawdown of troops, when we’re no longer at war, people tend to forget about our nation’s veterans,” Pedene said. “They’re still dealing with the moral injury, the problems that they have, the mental issues, so that’s why we picked that theme.”

Parade participants number in the thousands, with hundreds of volunteers and dozens of corporate sponsors. Pendene said that parade participants include marching bands, ROTC marching units and even a red, white and blue eagle balloon. There are also some novelty units like the Sun City Poms, pageant queens and twirling athletes. Governor Katie Hobbs and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego are expected to be at the event.

Kim Alexis said she was honored to be selected as the celebrity Grand Marshal for the parade. Alexis wants to encourage veterans to be their best in their own way.

“We can all strive, no matter where we are, to be our best in all areas,” Alexis said.

Past parades have seen the attendance of more than 40,000 people lining the streets to admire the service of America’s veterans.

The parade lasts about an hour and a half with more than 80 participant entries. View the Phoenix Veterans Day Parade route map here.