On the first of September, retired Navy commander Jessie Kimber stood at Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center in a blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a red bandanna with white polka dots tied in her hair. She is also a former economic development director for Colorado Springs. That morning, parade organizers announced who would lead this year's In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade. The answer was Rosie the Riveter, played by as many local women as would sign up.
The parade steps off at 11 a.m. this Saturday, Nov. 7. It heads south on Tejon Street from St. Vrain Street to Vermijo Avenue, the same route as last year. What changed is who fills it. A volunteer group leads the parade, flags paid for by local families have stood downtown since Sunday, Nov. 1, and the rest of the week runs on community events.
A Grand Marshal Made of Volunteers
Most years, a parade's grand marshal is one honored guest. For 2026, the official grand marshals are the "Rosies of the Pikes Peak Region." The Gazette reported that organizers want at least 250 women dressed as Rosie at the front of the parade. "Rosie" stands for the millions of women who worked in factories, shipyards and aircraft assembly lines during World War II.
The number comes from the calendar. KRDO reported that the parade committee chose 250 to honor the United States' 250th anniversary. Andy Koen, public relations director for O'Donnell & O'Donnell, the firm that organizes the parade, told KRDO that Rosie "represents the hard work and the resilience and the dedication of a generation of women who rolled up their sleeves and went to work in America's factories during World War II."
One of the Rosies did the actual work. Wanda Daniels, a 103-year-old Colorado Springs resident, assembled airplanes in California during the war and will be part of the parade.
The theme came from home. Organizer John O'Donnell told the Gazette that planning for this year's marshal began soon after the 2025 parade ended, and that his daughter suggested the Rosie tribute. "Here are women who have gone unsung but who are iconic in a lot of ways, in American art and literature and American history," he told the Gazette.
Volunteers will decide how big that front group looks. When the Gazette covered the September announcement, at least 30 women had signed up toward the goal of 250. Signups go through the "Become a Rosie" form on the parade's website. Participants are asked to wear red-and-white polka dot bandanas and blue-collar work uniforms, and to be comfortable walking the whole route.
The Flags Downtown Are Paying for Saturday
You may have already seen the flags. Salute from the Springs runs Nov. 1 through Nov. 11 in downtown Colorado Springs. Each flag carries the name of a veteran, service member or loved one.
KRDO reported that the display holds 1,111 U.S. flags, and that anyone can sponsor a flag for a family member who served for $25. All sponsorship money goes toward the parade. Every name in that field helps pay for what moves down Tejon Street on Saturday. Sponsorships and donations go through the parade site.
If you're planning a walk to see the flags, the parade site gives only "Downtown Colorado Springs" as the location. Last year's flags stood in the medians along parts of North Nevada Avenue and North Cascade Avenue. Those are good streets to start on, though this year's layout may differ.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
Because Rosies, sponsors and spectators all come from the community, parade morning starts early. Here is how the day lines up:
- 7 a.m. City road closures begin. The city's special event closures page lists Tejon Street from Cache La Poudre to Cimarron, plus cross streets from Dale through Colorado between Cascade and Nevada.
- 10 a.m. Rosies line up, according to the participant registration form.
- 11 a.m. The parade steps off from St. Vrain and heads south on Tejon toward Vermijo.
- Noon Closures are scheduled to lift on the city's listing.
- Noon to 2:30 p.m. The registration form lists a rooftop reception for participants.
Earlier news coverage gave a different closure window, so check the city page again Friday night. For getting there, the city points visitors to Mountain Metro buses, bicycles and the downtown public parking garages. Downtown Partnership's event listing has the same 11 a.m. start.
The parade also falls on the same day as the 19th annual Firkin Fest at Phantom Canyon Brewing Co., 2 E. Pikes Peak Ave., which runs noon to 4 p.m. with more than 20 Colorado independent breweries. Tickets are $35 to $40. Phantom Canyon sits a block off the route, so you can walk from the curb to the taproom.
The Rest of Veterans Week
The parade comes four days before Veterans Day, which falls on Wednesday, Nov. 11, this year. Local organizations host the events around it, from the flag display that opened Nov. 1 through a museum lecture on Nov. 14.
Date | Event | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
Nov. 1–11 | Salute from the Springs | Downtown | 1,111 flags; $25 sponsorships fund the parade |
Sat., Nov. 7 | In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade | Tejon St., St. Vrain to Vermijo | 11 a.m.; Rosies lead |
Sun., Nov. 8 | Veterans Day 5K | Goat Patch Brewing, 2727 N. Cascade Ave. | Race begins 10 a.m. |
Tue., Nov. 10 | Community & Veterans Job Fair | Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd. | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
Wed., Nov. 11 | Wreath-laying ceremony | Memorial Park monuments garden | 11 a.m.; Pikes Peak Veterans Council |
Wed., Nov. 11 | Profiles in Valor Awards Dinner | 8989 North Gate Blvd. | 6 to 9 p.m.; honors Latino veterans; ticketed |
Sat., Nov. 14 | WWII lecture on Lowry Field | Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, 215 S. Tejon St. | 2 to 3 p.m. |
Two scheduling notes. The Pioneers Museum is closed on Veterans Day itself. Its WWII program comes the following Saturday, under the title "Bombs, Bombers, and Armaments: Lowry Field and Colorado's Commitment to the War Effort in WWII." That makes it a good follow-up to a parade honoring the people who built those bombers. The Memorial Park wreath-laying at 11 a.m. on Wednesday is the observance held on Veterans Day itself, at the same hour the parade starts on Saturday.
A Pizza That Counts Toward Mt. Carmel
The week's community theme also reaches a new restaurant. Homegrown Tap & Dough set Oct. 27 as the opening date for its first Colorado Springs location, at 5710 S. Carefree Circle, the former second Jose Muldoon's. The Gazette reported that the dining room is built around military and ski history. Its centerpiece is a large American flag installation by Colorado artist Dolan Geiman, made from military memorabilia donated by people across the country, and a decommissioned Steamboat ski patrol gondola hangs nearby.
Throughout November, the restaurant donates $1 to Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center for every 14-inch pizza sold. Mt. Carmel is where this year's parade theme was announced. Active-duty service members and veterans get 10% off every visit at all of the restaurant group's locations. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and until 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
According to the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC figures cited in that same Gazette report, the city is home to more than 80,000 veterans and 110,000 active-duty military personnel. A parade led by volunteers and paid for by $25 flags draws on that many neighbors with a connection to service. If your household arrived on orders recently, our guide to living near Colorado Springs' military bases covers more about the community around each installation.
Many of my clients are military families, and this is a week I look forward to every year. If you're new to town on PCS orders and want ideas for where to stand on Tejon Street Saturday morning, or simply want someone local to compare notes with, Leslie Neumann is happy to help. Let's Connect.
