The 81st annual Wyoming Valley Veterans Day Parade stepped off on November 8, 2026, bringing marching bands, military units, and spectators together across Kingston and Wilkes-Barre.
The procession began at 2 p.m., moving along Market Street in Kingston before crossing the Market Street Bridge. It then circled Public Square in Wilkes-Barre past a reviewing stand.
U.S. Naval Sea Cadets carried flags representing the original 13 colonies, while members of the Wilkes-Barre Area Junior ROTC marched alongside units from the Army. Crowds gathered to watch the entries, which included Cub Scout Pack 55 from Wilkes-Barre and the Wyoming Valley West High School Marching Band performing near the 28th Division Artillery armory.
Music echoed through the downtown streets as AMVETS Post 59 Hanover Township bugler Mike Truszkowski and trumpet players from Sons of Amvets Squard 59 performed. The Irem Oriental Band and Irem Shepherds also joined the procession, alongside a Jeep from the Blacktop Warriors Jeep Club carrying a patriotic skeleton and a yet-to-be-named mascot for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Highlanders.
Parade marshal Lt. Col. Michael Tornambe, former commander of the 1st Battalion, 109th Field Artillery Regiment, led the march. For a few quiet moments during the afternoon, Public Square fell silent as the national anthem played, uniting spectators in reflection ahead of Veterans Day on Wednesday, according to reporting by Times Leader.
Jane Kibunja, visiting family in the Wyoming Valley from Papillion, Nebraska, watched the procession with her son’s 9.5 years of U.S. Marine Corps service in mind. I know people think it’s easy, but it’s easy for us who are here,
Kibunja told Times Leader, emphasizing the value of everyday freedoms built on military sacrifice.
Luzerne County Director of Veterans Affairs Oscar Flores, who served in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard from 2003 to 2024 as a howitzer senior section chief, also attended the event. Flores continues his service by connecting former service members with vital benefits and resources throughout the region.
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