Veterans in dress blues, Blue Star Moms, horses in red, white and blue, and kids waving American flags paraded down Greenville’s Main Street Nov. 11 in a show of support for the men and women who have served the nation in the Armed Forces.
With Plumas County Supervisor Kevin Goss as master of ceremonies, Greenville’s annual Veterans Day Parade joined celebrations across the country on a crisp autumn day that drew 100 onlookers.
American Legion Post 568 Commander and Parade Coordinator John Banks provided a formal welcome and Bobby Fiedler read an evocative poem. Parade entries included Wolf Creek 4-H, Indian Valley Fire engines and a Meyers Construction tractor cab as big as a tiny house.
Just as a recorded singing of the national anthem reached “the bombs bursting in air,” Russ Peter fired off a cannon from the bed of his pickup truck, raining red, white and blue confetti down on the crowd.
Niki Hammerich, who marched with the Blue Star Moms, carried a flag with a history poignant for the Indian Valley community, which suffered devastating losses during the 2021 Dixie fire.
Her grandfather, Vernon Riley, a Chief Master Sergeant in the Army, always flew the American flag on his property, she said. Her sister was flying his flag at her home on Humphery Circle when the Dixie fire forced her evacuation.
Firefighters working to save the house took it down rather than allowing it to burn. They sent it to Washington, D.C., with a note of explanation. The flag flew over the Capitol Building before it was returned to the family, Hammerich said.
They continue to fly a new flag provided by the firefighters, who successfully saved the family home.
