AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Austin's annual Veteran's Day Parade won't be happening this year due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, organizers announced. That's prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to push back and offer a spot for veterans to hold their annual event on the State Capitol grounds.
According to a Facebook post in early October from the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation, the annual event was canceled for this year due to a city requirement that all participants and spectators either show proof of a negative COVID-19 test or vaccination.
"This is something that we could not do as we anticipated some 30,000 attendees to the parade," organizers said. "We are hopeful that in 2022, the restrictions on public gatherings will be back to normal."
Gov. Abbott released a statement Tuesday morning, inviting the foundation to host a rally on the south steps of the state capitol instead - outside the reach of the city's permitting requirements.
"The City of Austin's overreaching COVID-19 requirements have placed an undue burden on large events like the 2021 Veterans Day Parade, forcing the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation to cancel their annual event," said Abbott in a statement. "That is why I am inviting the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation and military veterans to host a rally on the south steps of the the Texas State Capitol to celebrate our nation's heroes. The State of Texas will always support our military veterans, and we are committed to ensuring that the traditions of Veterans Day are kept alive in the capital city."
In lieu of the parade, the foundation is partnering with the City to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Veterans Pocket Park, located at 2200 Veterans Drive, near the intersection of MoPac and Lake Austin Boulevard. That outdoor event is set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
In a response to Abbott's offer, the foundation thanked the Governor for his invitation. "The Austin Veterans Parade Foundation is very appreciative of Governor Abbott’s invitation to celebrate Veterans Day at the Texas Capitol," said Jim Darwin, chairman of the Veterans Parade Foundation. "We must respectfully decline as we have already committed to dedication of the Austin Veterans Park on Thursday, November 11th. The Park is located at 2200 Veterans Dr. in Austin and the dedication will take place at 0930. The Veterans Park will be the only event that the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation will be involved in this year."
"Like so many other organizations that have had to cancel their event, the Austin Pride Parade, the Bat Festival and Pecan Street Festival, the Austin Veterans Parade Foundation determined that the unworkable COVID-19 rules imposed by the Austin Public Health Department were unattainable and too costly to deal with. So, the difficult and painful decision was made to cancel."
