Niagara-on-the-Lake’s iconic clock tower cenotaph turns 100 on June 4, and the Legion branch 124 and Town of NOTL are planning a celebration fitting for the occasion.

Lord Mayor Betty Disero will receive guests in the old Court House at 10:30 a.m. followed by a parade at the cenotaph at 11 a.m

Special guest for the parade will be Ontario Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell.

“The Legion has always seen the cenotaph as representing their friends and neighbours in the community,”  the people who went off to fight and do their duty as called upon in the First and Second World Wars, said Legion president Al Howse.

The cenotaph was unveiled on June 24, 1922, by then-Lt. Gov. Henry Cockshutt.

Since then, the names on the cenotaph have connected generations of NOTL families and neighbours, Howse said.

One example is John Grimstead, whose family still resides here. His brother Joe just died a few years ago.

“That is a great example of how the community used to be connected to those on the cenotaph. Now, the town, population and everything has changed so much. It’s the Legion’s duty to remind people of these things,” Howse said.