KITCHENER -- Residents in Waterloo Region and surrounding areas marked Remembrance Day during the COVID-19 pandemic for the second straight year.

Ceremonies open to the public had protocols in place, including physical distancing and masks.

KITCHENER

The ceremony at Kitchener's cenotaph was much smaller than past years due to the pandemic.

Officials read several thousand names and ranks to honour residents from the Kitchener who served in the military.

Dignitaries also laid wreaths at the cenotaph ahead of a moment of silence.

Officials from the Kitchener Legion said they were surprised by the number of people who attended in 2021. They were expecting around 40 people, but hundreds showed up to mark the day.

WATERLOO

In Waterloo, a crowd gathered at the cenotaph outside of city hall, honouring veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.

"Remember the sacrifice that many people had to endure over their lifetime," Ret. Corp. Danny Doughty said. "Not just the dead ones, but ones who survived from it."

Ashley Birch, 14, was remembering her great-grandfather.

"My great-grandpa served, fought in the Korean War," she said. "He was a second warrant officer and has a peacekeeping medal."

CAMBRIDGE

Cambridge officials posted online, asking people not to attend ceremonies amid the pandemic. However, there were hundreds of people gathered in both Galt and Preston. The ceremonies were short, with wreaths laid in advance and no parade for 2021.

"Today is about remembering them, remembering the sacrifice," Dean Broad with the Legion's Galt branch said. "It does stir up some memories of things that we've seen and obviously veterans tend to see a lot of things that normal civilians won't see, and that's what today's about."

GUELPH

The Royal City hosted a brief outdoor service at the cenotaph.

"It was a very special ceremony, considering this is the 100th year of the poppy being recognized," said veteran David Thompson.

There was also an earlier service at McCrae House Memorial Gardens.

BRANTFORD

Residents in Brantford were able to pay tribute to people who served and continue to serve their country, taking part in both virtual and in-person events.

"We had to lose good, really good people to have what we have today," said Don Spiece, who served during the Cold War. "People should be so celebratory of what we have."