On Wednesday morning, Newcastle slows down. At 10:30 a.m. our community gathers at the cenotaph on King Avenue, in the middle of the village, to stand in silence with Legion members, veterans, families, and neighbours. If you live in Port of Newcastle, elsewhere in Newcastle, or anywhere in Clarington, here is what you need to know to take part.
Remembrance Day in Newcastle: Wednesday, November 11 at 10:30 a.m.
The Newcastle Remembrance Day service takes place on Wednesday, November 11 at 10:30 a.m. at the Newcastle Cenotaph, 20 King Avenue West, outside Newcastle Village Community Hall. The Municipality of Clarington, together with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 178, hosts services across Clarington, and the Newcastle service is the closest one for Port of Newcastle and village residents.
Plan to arrive early and expect a road closure. King Avenue between Baldwin Street and Mill Street will be closed from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the service. If you are driving across town that morning, build in a detour and a little extra time, and please be patient with volunteers and attendees crossing near the hall.
If Bowmanville is closer for you, the Bowmanville parade and service also begin at 10:30 a.m. on November 11. The parade leaves the Bowmanville Legion and marches to Veterans Square beside Town Hall at 40 Temperance Street, with King Street and Temperance Street closures in effect from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There is also a 10:30 a.m. service at Whitecliffe Terrace Retirement Residence on Highway 2 in Courtice, and Wilmot Creek residents have a Night of Remembrance at 7 p.m. in the Wheelhouse Auditorium. Wherever you attend, the heart of the morning is the same: a moment of silence at 11 a.m. to honour the local men and women who served, and those who did not come home.
The names on the stone are our neighbours
Stand in front of the Newcastle cenotaph for a moment and read the names. They are not distant history. They are the sons of farming and fishing families from this village and the concessions around it, men who walked these same streets before they went overseas. Some of their families still live here. That is what makes a small town service different: remembrance here is not abstract, it is personal, and it is carried by the same families, the same Legion branch, and the same main street, year after year.
If you are new to the area, the service is also an easy, low pressure way to meet people and learn how the village works. Come as you are, thank a volunteer when you see one, and consider picking up a poppy this week to support the Legion and local veterans and their families. You can also learn more about daily life here in our guide to where Newcastle, Ontario is and what living here is like, and in our look at community living in Port of Newcastle, season by season.
However you mark the morning, we hope you can be there: a few quiet minutes on King Avenue, in good company, for the people this stone remembers. Lest we forget.
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Brandon Hebert
Realtor · The Hebert Group · Port of Newcastle & Durham Region
Written by Brandon Hebert · The Hebert Group · Port of Newcastle Real Estate Specialist
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