The Field of Crosses will return to the Kelowna Cenotaph for Remembrance Day.
This year due to COVID-19 requirements, there will be limited opportunities to commemorate Remembrance Day on Nov. 11, therefore organizations are encouraged to find ways to reflect on the lives of those who gave their lives in the name of peace that does not involve large gatherings of people.
To mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945, The Rotary Club of Kelowna, Okanagan Military Museum Society, the City of Kelowna, the British Columbia Dragoons, Royal Canadian Legion and local Army, Sea, and Air Cadets, plus local volunteers have worked together to plan a special event during the week leading up to Remembrance Day.
The “Field of Crosses,” a visual memorial where, as in the previous two years, 240 white crosses, will be installed in City Park, close to the Kelowna Cenotaph, to commemorate the lives of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives in the service of their country.
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“This project will create a visual remembrance for each of the names inscribed on the Kelowna Cenotaph.,” said Carol Eamer, member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna and Field Crosses organizer.
“People from the Kelowna area will be invited to visit the crosses anytime between November 3rd and November 11th to pay their individual respects without large ceremonies.”
“This display will touch close to home for members of our community – including students – in a meaningful way, visually depicting the numbers of young Canadians from the Kelowna area who paid the ultimate sacrifice in fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today. It is also our intention that participating students and future generations living in Kelowna will benefit from the understanding of the stories and the lives of individuals behind the names on the Cenotaph,” said Eamer.
The inspiration for displaying the crosses is based on a similar exhibit each November in Calgary, Alberta where over 3,000 crosses are installed each year at a park on Memorial Drive.
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