A century of tradition in Fresno. See veterans honored at annual downtown parade

As it’s told, the history of the Central Valley Veterans Day parade goes back more than a century, to the first anniversary of Armistice Day and the soldiers returning from World War I.

It was an event both solemn and historic, according a full page of coverage in The Fresno Morning Republic on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 1919. “Honor is paid to dead while living are decorated,” read one headline.

Underneath that: “City extends welcome to her returned service men.”

Nearly 1,500 marched that day.

“These were the men who were ready to pay their all. They had been spared and yesterday, they were welcomed again to their home.”

106th Central Valley Veterans Day Parade

Armistice Day was rebranded in 1954 after a proclamation from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The newly minted Veterans Day would honor not just those who served in World War I, but those who served in any conflict in any military branch.

In Fresno, the Veterans Day Parade is an annual tradition.

By the late 1960s, it ran fully two hours and drew 10,000 or more spectators through downtown. By the late 1980s, the parade featured veterans from both Korea and Vietnam, along with both world wars. Included in that number were a half dozen veterans who had been at the original 1919 parade.

The parade, which now bills itself as the largest such parade west of the Mississippi, followed a similar route through downtown on Tuesday.

The hours-long parade, televised on ABC 30 (to give you a sense of community support), had an opening ceremony outside City Hall with grand marshal Judge Glenda Allen-Hill. She served in the United States Air Force in the 1980s as a JAG officer and is currently a judge of the Superior Court of Fresno County, as appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008.

The parade, which followed a route marked by American flags, blocked streets around downtown through Tuesday afternoon, as it moved from City Jall down Fresno and Tulare streets to Chukchansi Park. There were 114 entries, from veteran organizations along with classic cars groups, school color guards and marching bands.

It wasn’t the only Veterans Day celebration in the area.

Clovis Veteran’s Memorial District held a day’s worth of activities at its building and Community Heritage Center. That included a concert and car show, and the unveiling of a new WWII exhibit at its Community Heritage Center.

This story was originally published November 11, 2025 at 2:42 PM.