Edwardsville Parade Celebrates Veterans With Record Lineup and Historic Firsts

EDWARDSVILLE — The annual Veterans Day Parade brought 110 entries to downtown Edwardsville on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, marking the event’s largest lineup and its first female grand marshal, according to American Legion Post 199 Commander Denise Elzie.

The parade, which began at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, featured local military veterans, marching bands and community organizations in observance of Veterans Day. The Edwardsville American Legion Post 199 hosted the event with support from the Metro East Community Rotary Club and the City of Edwardsville.

Kimberli Goodner, a U.S. Air Force veteran, former flight medic and owner of Local Artisans 222, served as the parade’s first female grand marshal, Elzie said.

Elzie, the post’s first female commander for the Edwardsville American Legion, also helped lead the procession.

Elzie said a medical helicopter flyover opened the parade, another first for the event. She described a large crowd lining the streets along the route throughout the entire parade.

The route began in the 900 block of North Main Street near Eden Church and continued south on Main Street. It turned west onto Vandalia/St. Louis Street, then south onto West Street before concluding at Lincoln Middle School.

The gathering continued after the parade, when Goodner spoke about her military service. Elzie described Goodner’s remarks as very special and one of her highlights of the event.

“It was a great turnout for the parade,” Elzie said. “We had a lot of participants and a lot of people on both sides of the street of the parade.”