Houston Salutes American Heroes: City Hall Ceremony at 10, Parade at 11:30 on Veterans Day

The City of Houston will hold its annual “Houston Salutes American Heroes Veterans Day Celebration” on Wednesday, November 11, beginning with the traditional Veterans Day Ceremony on the steps of City Hall at 10 a.m. The city says the program will include acknowledgements and a distinguished keynote speaker recognizing local heroes; Ambassador Chase Untermeyer is listed as this year's keynote speaker. At the 11th hour on the 11th day, the ceremony will observe a Moment of Silence in memory of the signing of the Armistice, which ended World War I.

The American Heroes Parade will begin at 11:30 a.m. at Dallas and Bagby, proceeding east on Dallas, north on Louisiana, west on Walker, south on Smith, and west on Lamar, ending on Lamar at Bagby. Local veteran organizations, ROTC units, bands, and supporters will march in the parade, the city says, and the parade is open to the public, with all welcome along the route. The city notes that Texas has the largest veteran population in the nation, with over 250,000 veterans in residence.

Drivers heading downtown should plan around the closures. Allen Parkway, inbound and outbound between Taft and Bagby, closes at 9:00 a.m., along with the Lamar north bike lane along Sam Houston Park; Bagby between Clay and McKinney closes at 9:45 a.m., with the McKinney off-ramp remaining open to exit north on Bagby, and Bagby southbound closed at Walker. Setup closures are already in effect: the north curb lane of the 400-500 blocks of McKinney and the north and south curb lanes of the 400-500 blocks of Walker closed at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday and run through 5:00 p.m. Wednesday.

The celebration is the city's civic tribute to the men and women in the military and to the families who have fought and sacrificed, in the city's words, for liberty and freedom. All of Wednesday's events are free.