Butler residents Monday morning thanked veterans for their service in a variety of ways at the annual Veterans Day Parade downtown: some waved small flags; others clapped loudly enough for the sound to echo down Main Street.

Hundreds, perhaps thousands, lined sidewalks, veterans and supporters, old and young.

Jessica Lauer, 28, a Butler native, held her 3-year-old daughter, Ava Rossman, to get a good view of the parade. Ava was dressed in a replica Army uniform, exactly like her mother’s.

“We just saw each other for the first time in 11 months,” said Lauer, who served in the U.S. Army in Kuwait for more than five years. She returned to the United States last month and is stationed in Fort Belvoir, Va.

Lauer’s three-day visit in Butler ended Monday, having to return to Fort Belvoir that evening. But she keeps in touch with her daughter through Facetime and Skype while she stays with her father, Dave Rossman.

Several groups marched in the parade, including the Butler County American Legion Riders, the Salvation Army, the VFW Post 7376, and the Karns City, Moniteau and Butler high school marching bands.

Others who came to the parade do it as an annual tradition, such as Bob and Pat Kosar.

“Veterans are first. They supported our country and we need that right now,” said Pat Kosar of Butler.

They also were there to see their granddaughter, Rhiannon, perform in the Butler marching band.

David Brown of Connoquenessing stood with his wife and mother, holding a handmade sign thanking veterans for their service.

“Gotta thank the vets. It’s all for them. They’re the ones that do the sacrifice,” he said.