By Suellen Reitz
November 11, Veterans Day, is a special day for the men and women who have taken the oath to serve our great nation in our military. It’s a day when the citizens they serve have the opportunity to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made to keep them safe. There are more than 3,000 veterans who call Pickens County home. They live here because they love our county. Let’s show some love back.
Everyone loves a parade. The marching bands, colorful floats… it brings out the kid in all of us. American Legion Post 149 is currently accepting applications for parade participants. Show your patriotism and appreciation to our military and veterans and join us as we march down Main Street. There is no fee to participate and everyone is invited to join in on the fun. Floats, cars, clubs, horses, bikes…. we want them all. If you can’t be in the parade, we hope to see you on the sidelines, cheering us as we march by.
Parade Marshal will be WWII veteran Al Lawson.
The legion asks all parade participants not to throw candy from your float for safety reasons. Walkers are welcome to hand out candy without throwing it into the street. They also request this to be a politically free parade and that participants refrain from any offensive displays.
Line up will be at 9:15 a.m. behind the Methodist Church with parade beginning at 10 a.m. For more information, please contact parade coordinator Steve Whitt at 404-387-4109 or email stevewhitt@etcmail.com Application form can be downloaded at www.americanlegion149.com.
Immediately following the parade, we invite all to join us at the Veterans Memorial Park in Lee Newton Park for a patriotic concert performed by Pickens High Chorale and Band. Jasper Mayor Steve Lawrence, also a veteran will be the guest speaker. While there, take time to visit the veteran’s memorial and view the military bricks of honor. Currently there are 835 engraved-bricks with the name of a veteran who served. With upcoming expansion, there are 2,000 additional spaces available to honor a special veteran in your family. The 4×8 bricks are available for a tax deductible donation of $125. Order forms will be available following the service or can be purchased online at pickensvetmemorial@gmail.com.
Don’t let this Veterans Day find you sitting at home with nothing going on. Grab your American flag or use one of the flags distributed at the parade and be part of our patriotic community as we thank our veterans.
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