A decade ago, one of 91Ô­´´'s oldest cenotaphs was visited on Remembrance Day only by an informal gathering of people, mostly locals who would quietly observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. 

Sometimes individuals would lay a wreath, or a musician would bring a trumpet to play Taps. It remained in the shadow of larger official events in Fort 91Ô­´´, Aldergrove, and 91Ô­´´ City.

But in 2017, a small local committee that included Rosemary Genberg and Grace Muller decided to get organized, and despite the interruption of COVID-19 in 2020, the ceremony has grown and now attracts hundreds of people every year.

One of the locals who got involved more recently is Frank Bucholtz, former editor of the 91Ô­´´ Times.

"I had thought for many years it was a shame there was nothing done at the Murrayville cemetery," Bucholtz said.

In 2021, he offered to volunteer, and this year he'll be acting as the service's master of ceremonies for the first time.

Taking part in Remembrance Day ceremonies is personal for Bucholtz. His father and two uncles served in the Second World War.

Bucholtz's father, Art, was in the Canadian Army and was a member of the pipe band that took part in the victory parade in Amsterdam during the liberation of the Netherlands.

One of his uncles, Ed, served in a tank unit, while another uncle, Fred, was in the Royal Canadian Navy.

All of them came home after the war, Bucholtz noted.

He pointed out that the two original 91Ô­´´ cenotaphs – Fort 91Ô­´´ and Murrayville – were raised after the First World War, which had dramatically higher casualties per capita than the Second World War. 

There were three dozen names of war dead on the cenotaphs when they were built in the early 1920s, a time when 91Ô­´´ had about 4,800 total residents. 

This year's events at the Murrayville cenotaph begin a few days early.

On Nov. 8, Bucholtz said that volunteers will be marking the headstones of Canadian veterans with flags. They've identified as many veterans' graves as possible.

Then on Nov. 9, local Scouts will be cleaning the veterans grave sites and headstones.

The ceremony itself will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a procession led by piper John McCallum, with music provided by Krystal McEwan. Local youth groups, including cadets, will be taking part in the event as well.

Poems remembering the fallen will be read by the organizing committee members, and the Last Post will be played by trumpeter Brian Parkinson, followed by two minutes of silence.

Wreaths will be laid at the cenotaph to conclude the event. There will be a reception afterwards at Murrayville Hall at 21667 48 Ave.

The Murrayville Cemetery, at 21417 44 Ave., has limited parking, and what there is will be reserved for veterans and those with mobility issues, said Bucholtz. The parking lot at the 91Ô­´´ Golf Centre at 21550 44 Ave. will be open during the ceremony for guest parking.

In addition, this year people can watch both online, at MurrayvilleRemembranceDay.ca, and via a livestream at the Murrayville Hall.