City of Palm Springs honors veterans with free luncheon after canceled annual parade

The City of Palm Springs organized a drive-thru luncheon to honor veterans after the annual Palm Springs parade was canceled due to coronavirus.

Dozens of vehicles drove through the Palm Springs City Hall parking lot to receive their free meals. The city provided a variety of sandwiches from Aspen Mills, in addition to beverages.

"We worked with the American Legion to do this wonderful lunch. We reached out to our veteran community to let them know they can register for lunch, and we had over 200 veterans there to register," said Palm Springs Mayor Geoff Kors.

The event started at 11 a.m., and included a ceremony and flyover from the Palm Springs Air Museum.

"I think it’s fabulous and I’m very impressed. They got the color guards here and the bagpipers," said veteran, Michael Mileham.

Many who arrived to receive their free meal shared their service experiences.

"My dad was in the army during Korea and the infantry, and I was in the Air Force," said veteran, McArvie Crawford Jr.

Many city council members were there, thanking veterans for their service.

The event was a small replacement in comparison to the annual parade that attracts hundreds of people across the valley.

"We missed the parade so we came down here to get a meal, wanted to get my dad out of the house because of the virus," said Crawford.

"We were a little disappointed, but we knew we couldn’t socialize anyway so we knew we weren’t missing out on much," said Mileham.

"When the city did this today it meant a lot to me because every year they do the parade, and they show respect and I think it means a lot, and I’m thankful," said veteran, Jeffery Whisman.

Despite an extremely tumultuous year, many agreed it was a day to put aside each other's differences and appreciate those who paved the way for freedom.

"We’re only having any of these conversations, being able to vote, because they risked their lives to protect our democracy so it’s so important to honor our veterans," said Mayor Kors.

"The American flag stands for every battle that every American has given their life for," said veteran, Amado Salinas II.