Honor Veterans Friday By Attending Free Parade & Concert
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – In honor of veterans, of all wars, the city is hosting a parade Friday that will conclude with a free concert at Bayfront Park.
County Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz, along with members of the Military Affairs Board, have invited the community to help honor the courage and service of veterans of the Vietnam War, the Bay of Pigs—and all wars—by way of a parade on Friday.
The Miami-Dade County Golden Veterans Parade, presented by Hershey's, will begin at noon on Flagler Street under the I-95 overpass and continue down Flagler to Bayfront Park.
"This is a long overdue tribute to Vietnam veterans who fought bravely and honorably but never received a proper homecoming," Commissioner Diaz said. "We are also honoring all the brave men and women across Miami-Dade County and the State of Florida who have risked their lives to defend this country's hard-won freedoms over the years."
Once the parade is over, there will be a commemorative ceremony which includes a free concert with nationally recognized bands that support veterans' causes including Grand Funk Railroad, Willy Chirino and the 13th Army Band of the Florida National Guard.
The parade was inspired by the recent presidential proclamation which designates the next 13 years as the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War to honor more than 3 million servicemen and women who served for more than 10 years of combat in Southeast Asia.
The commemorative event is organized by the Military Affairs Board and with the support of 24 Miami-Dade municipalities, local military organizations and a diverse group of community leaders.
Participants include a motorcycle club, sponsor floats, veterans' organizations, military units and their assets, five school marching bands and much more.
Attendees, and drivers alike, should be aware of road closures. Also, President Obama is scheduled to visit Friday—quite possibly adding to police presence and traffic.
Below are the detailed traffic routes:
- At 6:00 AM, we will close West Flagler Street, west of 2nd Avenue to N. River Drive. We will also close N. River Drive from Flagler Street to NW 3rd Street. This will be the staging area for the parade participants.
- At 8:00 AM, we will close all of Flagler Street, from N. River Drive to Biscayne Boulevard. We will set up the barricades along the route. All cross streets (Avenues) will remain open for vehicles and pedestrians to travel north and south.
- At 10:00 AM, the remaining necessary closures will be implemented, to include all cross streets (Avenues) intersecting Flagler Street. Biscayne Boulevard will be closed between SE 2nd and NE 1st Street.
- Once the parade is over, sanitation will move in to clean the streets followed by a systematic removal of barricades. Once the area is cleared, we will reopen Flagler Street and all cross streets (Avenues.)
- Biscayne Boulevard and Flagler Street, east of E. 3rd Avenue will remain closed until the end of the concert, at approximately 6:00 PM.
- All traffic traveling northbound on Biscayne Boulevard will be sent west on SE 2nd Street. This reroute will remain in effect as long as Biscayne Boulevard is closed.
- All traffic traveling southbound on Biscayne Boulevard will be sent west on NE 1st Street. This reroute will remain in effect as long as Biscayne Boulevard is closed.
