PARIS — Gil Turner remembers marching in Veterans Day parades decades ago when veterans would line up at the courthouse and march to the Legion Hall downtown.

As many as 25 to 30 veterans would march past a large turnout of residents from Paris and Norway who used to combine their Veterans Day parades, switching from one town to the next each year for the parade route.

But that was then. About five years ago with frosty November weather and dwindling participants and viewers along the parade route, the veterans decided it was time to bring the program indoors.

“We’re getting older and colder,” said Turner, past commander of the American Legion Post 72 and this year’s master of ceremony for the  Nov. 11 Veterans Day program at the Oxford Comprehensive High School in Paris beginning at 10 a.m.

“It’s going to be a good program,” said Turner of the ceremony that will include the keynote address by Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School Principal Ted Moccia and a song, “The Wisdom That We Gained,” by Vietnam veteran Al Pelletier.

“This is a very touching song that he’s going to sing. He’s sung at veterans home services before,” Turner said.

Turner is a 45-year member of Post 72 who has marched 30 to 35 years in local veterans parades.

“Norway and Paris used to combine for a parade on Veterans Day,” he said. “Now Norway, Paris and Oxford legions combine. It’s a joint effort.”

Despite the change to indoors, Turner said it is still hard to pull in some of the younger veterans.

“The younger veterans aren’t really into this. All the Legions are having trouble getting new vets in. We have maybe two or three Vietnam veterans but they’re not active. Mostly we have Koreans vets,” he said of the few of the 98 membership who are active.

“It used to be similar to Memorial Day parades,” said Turner, who surmises the change came when companies began to let their employees work on Veterans Day and take a compensating day after Thanksgiving Day for a long weekend..

“It seemed to be a trend in the last 10 years,” he said.

Turner said he is optimistic that the indoor ceremony will be well attended even without the parade.

This year’s ceremony also will include the presentation of colors by the Color Guard and support units, the national anthem played by the high school band, and an invocation and benediction by Rev. Don Mayberry. Refreshments will be served outside the auditorium.

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