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‘No Stone Left Alone’ ceremony hosted by the IODE Stettler Frontenac chapter

Second annual ceremony set to run Nov. 5th
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Pictured here is a file photo from last year’s ‘No Stone Left Alone Ceremony’ at the Lake View Cemetery. The procession is led bagpiper Stuart Somerville, Stettler RCMP Sgt. Phil Penny and Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry Cpl. Dane Graham, as well as many local IODE members and local dignitaries. This year’s event runs Nov. 5th. Stettler Independent file photo

A meaningful local tradition continues on Nov. 5th with the ‘No Stone Left Alone’ ceremony hosted by the IODE Stettler Frontenac chapter.

Along with the Town of Stettler, William E. Hay Stettler Secondary Campus and Score Projects Inc., the chapter is inviting the public to attend the special event, which starts at 1 p.m. at Lake View Cemetery (3810 -50th St).

Folks are asked to RSVP to Peggy Duncan at pmduncan9@gmail.com.

During the ceremony, a cross is placed on every veteran’s grave.

“I contacted a lady in Olds, and she sent me to another lady in Edmonton. And then I went from Edmonton to Ottawa and back again,” explained Peggy Duncan, an IODE member who first spearheaded the project three years ago.

Since the start, there’s been solid community support and participation as well, with local students, the Town of Stettler and of course local IODE members all connected to the project as well. Duncan said that initially, it was discovered that 130 veterans’ graves were located in the local cemetery.

The idea for No Stone Left Alone first came when Duncan was visiting her granddaughter, who noticed during a TV show close to Remembrance Day that some people were putting up crosses at a spot on Calgary’s Memorial Drive.

She asked Duncan why a similar type of event wasn’t held in Stettler.

That was all the inspiration that Duncan needed to begin to put together the first annual ‘No Stone Left Alone’ ceremony.

“Last year went really well I thought,” she said, adding that it’s a meaningful event of remembering. It’s also proving to be an important means of educating the public in general, and youth in particular, about the importance of Remembrance Day and remembering the sacrifices made by so many.

”Everybody was so happy that we had done it,” she said

“I also wanted my granddaughter to realize that if it wasn’t for the veterans, we wouldn’t have the freedom that we have today.”

Many who attended last year were also struck by how many veterans have actually been laid to rest at the local cemetery, she said.



Mark Weber

About the Author: Mark Weber

I've been a part of the Black Press Media family for about a dozen years now, with stints at the Red Deer Express, the Stettler Independent, and now the Lacombe Express.
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