At the September announcement, Jessie Kimber stood in front of the cameras in a blue work shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a red bandanna with white dots. She is a retired Navy commander and a former economic development director for Colorado Springs. That day she was dressed as Rosie the Riveter, The Gazette reported. This Saturday, a group of women in that same outfit will lead the In Their Honor Veterans Day Parade south down Tejon Street.
Rosie the Riveter is the 2026 Grand Marshal. To mark the nation's 250th anniversary, the parade committee invited 250 women to march as "Rosies" at the front of the parade, FOX21 News reported. The choice reaches past the uniformed services to the civilians who kept them supplied. Most of what happens downtown and around town this week follows the same idea. You don't need to have served to take part in this year's Veterans Day.
A Grand Marshal who was never in uniform
Rosie stands for the women who worked in factories, shipyards and airplane assembly lines during World War II while men filled the armed forces. The Gazette reports that the parade will include one of those women: Wanda Daniels, a 103-year-old Colorado Springs resident who assembled airplanes in California during the war.
Parade organizer John O'Donnell told The Gazette that planning for this year's Grand 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," O'Donnell told The Gazette.
Andy Koen, public relations director for O'Donnell and O'Donnell, described Rosie to FOX21 as representing "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."
Joining was open to any woman. Women applied through the parade website and paid a $17.76 fee, which reserved a spot in the lineup and covered a matching bandanna. The amount matches the year of the Declaration of Independence. By September 1, at least 30 women had signed up, according to The Gazette. The goal was 250, so Saturday will show how close they got.
The flags downtown, sponsored one name at a time
The participation theme started before the parade. Since November 1, the parade organization's "Salute from the Springs" display has been up in Downtown Colorado Springs, and it stays through November 11. KRDO reports the 2026 display has 1,111 U.S. flags.
Each flag stands for a Pikes Peak veteran, and that veteran's name is shown with it. Families add those names. A $25 donation through the Salute from the Springs form honors a loved one with a flag, according to Visit Colorado Springs. The display is paid for with donations, so most of those 1,111 names are on it because someone in the region asked for them to be there.
On weekday evenings this week, a walk past the flags takes very little time. Many visitors read the names slowly anyway.
Saturday morning on Tejon
The parade organization lists the start as Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m. The route heads south on Tejon Street from St. Vrain to Vermijo. USAA is the presenting sponsor.
The City of Colorado Springs posts the street closures on its special event closures page for 7 a.m. to noon on November 7:
| Street | Closed segment |
|---|---|
| Tejon Street | Cache La Poudre to Cimmaron |
| Dale Street | Cascade to Nevada |
| Willamette Avenue | Cascade to Nevada |
| St. Vrain Street | Cascade to Nevada |
| Boulder Street | Cascade to Nevada |
| Platte Avenue | Cascade to Nevada |
| Bijou Street | Cascade to Nevada |
| Kiowa Street | Cascade to Nevada |
| Pikes Peak Avenue | Cascade to Nevada |
| Colorado Avenue | Cascade to Nevada |
FOX21's early coverage gave a 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. window. Check the City's page again on Saturday morning before you drive in.
Because Cascade and Nevada stay open on either side of the route, the city-run garages are an easy way in:
- City Administration Building garage, 130 S. Nevada Ave.
- Kiowa garage, 127 E. Kiowa St.
- Cascade garage, 215 N. Cascade Ave.
The City lists its garage rate as $1 per hour. The City also suggests taking Mountain Metro downtown on event days. Its trip planner finds the fastest route, and every bus has a bike rack on the front.
The parade organization's site asks people to stay downtown after the parade. It points out that many downtown businesses are veteran-owned or employ military spouses. One of them is a short walk east of Tejon: Gunslinger Brewing Company, a veteran-owned brewery at 318 E. Colorado Ave., Suite C.
Sunday's 5K is open to walkers
The day after the parade, Goat Patch Brewing at 2727 N. Cascade Ave. holds its annual Veterans Day 5K. Visit Colorado Springs describes Goat Patch as a veteran-owned brewery. The race starts at 10 a.m. on Sunday, November 8, loops through the surrounding neighborhood, and finishes back at the brewery, where every finisher gets a free beer.
According to the Visit Colorado Springs listing, it is a casual fun run, and participants are welcome to run, jog or walk. Like the Rosie spots and the flag sponsorships, it is easy to join. Signing up and showing up on Sunday morning is enough.
The week after the parade
Several more events fall on the weekdays after the parade:
- Tuesday, November 10. The Pikes Peak Workforce Center's Community & Veterans Job Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Colorado Springs Event Center, 3960 Palmer Park Blvd. Up to 150 employers are expected. Despite the name, it is open to community members, not only veterans.
- Wednesday, November 11. Pikes Peak – America's Mountain gives active-duty and retired military with ID free admission on Veterans Day.
- Wednesday, November 11. The Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber's Profiles in Valor Awards Dinner runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Hotel Polaris, 8989 North Gate Blvd. The Chamber's own listing gives this date. The evening honors Latino veterans of El Paso County with dinner, awards and dedication ceremonies, and tickets are required.
- Saturday, November 14. The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum at 215 S. Tejon St. hosts Dr. Courtney A. Short's lecture, "Bombs, Bombers, and Armaments: Lowry Field and Colorado's Commitment to the War Effort in WWII," from 2 to 3 p.m.
The Pioneers Museum talk is part of the museum's "We the People: Colorado at 150" lecture series. It covers Lowry Field and the 310th Bombardment Group. Tickets are free, but registration is required through the museum's event page, and donations are welcome. The parade opens with women who built aircraft. A week later, the last event on the calendar takes place on the same street and looks at Colorado's own part in the WWII war effort.
Before Saturday
One event already happened this week. On Wednesday, the 19th annual VetCon took place at The Antlers on South Cascade under its new name, Mission: Colorado. Visit Colorado Springs reports that the new name shifts the conference's focus to the region and the people who helped shape and protect it. If you missed it, the Colorado SBDC's Pikes Peak center is the organizer to follow for next year's date.
The flags stay up through Wednesday. Parade closures start at 7 a.m. Saturday under the City's listing. The Goat Patch 5K starts at 10 a.m. Sunday.
If your family is planning a PCS move to Fort Carson, Peterson, Schriever or the Academy and wants to know which parts of the Pikes Peak region fit your routine, Nicole Strom has helped military families with those moves, and she'd be glad to help yours. Start Your Move by requesting your free Relocation Guide.
