Hotels and apartment buildings brimmed with soldiers, golf courses and beaches served as training grounds, and as World War II raged, the city of Miami Beach bustled.

That was more than 50 years ago and memories of WWII and the post-war boom have faded somewhat. So too has the presence of veterans in the city, perhaps no more noticeable than in recent Veterans Day parades.

The annual Nov. 11 event has fallen on hard times. In 2008, attendance was paltry from viewers and participants, organizers say.

``Last year was the first time in years and years that we had no real parade,'' said Douglas Morris, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars post 3559 in Miami Beach, which sponsors the parade along with the city's American Legion Post 85. ``It wasn't what I would call a parade. We just didn't have the participation last year that we had in the past.''

Flash forward to 2009, and it's a different story. This year, more than 1,000 participants have signed up to march in an extended parade that will feature members of the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Reserve, the Miami Beach High School marching band, Miami Dolphins cheerleaders and an array of older model cars, such as a 1916 Model-T Convertible.

Humvees will roll down Washington Avenue, along with a fire truck, conga dancers and the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, a mobile multimedia recording studio that on Sunday and Monday will be parked outside The Betsy hotel, open to those who want to share their memories and memorabilia for a documentary honoring veterans. ``It's going to really be something very nice,'' said Commissioner Jerry Libbin, who has helped organize this year's parade.

Morris said part of the reason the parade has been diminished is the declining membership in veterans' groups -- he said his VFW post has gone from about 2,000 members in 1982 to just 289 this month. So when Libbin offered a hand, organizers eagerly accepted. Libbin said he was so disappointed with the 2008 showing that he committed on the spot to drawing at least 500 participants. He has doubled his promise, receiving commitments from schools, hotels -- which housed the soldiers training in the city during WWII -- civic groups and other organizations.

This year's parade will begin at 17th Street and will head south on Washington Avenue to 11th Street, where it then will go to Flamingo Park. At the park, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held, followed by a 21-gun salute and a picnic.

With participants lined up by the hundreds, Libbin, the American Legion and the VFW hope to promote the event and draw a large crowd.

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