ARCOLA - The town of Arcola will be observing Remembrance Day at the cenotaph.
While there will not be a formal program this year due to public health restrictions, committee members are planning for a full program to return in November 2022. The Observer had the opportunity to talk with local historian Scott Paton, who provided some background.
“For many decades, Remembrance Day services in Arcola were held annually by the local members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Due to declining enrolment, the Arcola Band took over and continued to hold the program until 2019.
Together with my wife Renee Pylypuk, we became involved with the annual event and up until 2019 we conducted our program in the Mac Murray Theatre. We used their digital projector and large screen for the local service.”
Paton has a genuine interest in military history and enjoys participating in the event. While a formal program did not take place in 2020 and now 2021, they have created a website called ArcolaRemembers.ca, and is linked to YouTube. Since 2016, Paton and Pylypuk have added an annual vignette to YouTube between five and 11 minutes in length.
They are named as follows, from 2016 to 2020; Arcola Remembers, Grain Fields to The Great War, Dieppe, Valour and Sacrifice, As Ever, Bryce, Reconstructing Afghanistan, and Honour Roll. These short films are well made and of important historical value.
Many readers of the Observer do not know about them, so Paton encourages you to visit the website and take a look. Paton and Pylypuk are hoping for a return of the Arcola Remembers series at the 2022 service.
