Wednesday, May 22, 2002
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Wednesday, May 22, 2002 |
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Memorial Day events around the county By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Memorial Day will be observed Monday, but there are special activities scheduled in Fayetteville and Peachtree City over the three-day weekend. A Memorial Day Tribute Ceremony and free concert will be hosted by Fayetteville Main Street at Fayetteville Heritage Park Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. The ceremony will include a dedication to veterans and a special POW/MIA ceremony. John Dufresne, commander of the American Legion Post 105 in Fayetteville, will emcee the pre-concert program. Fayetteville Mayor Ken Steele, Fayette County Commission Chairman Greg Dunn and Main Street Board Chairman Robert Sprayberry will also take part in the ceremony. Attendees are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and picnic baskets and enjoy the event. Mac Frampton will take the stage at 8 p.m. along with his instrumental and vocal ensemble performing their patriotic show "On the Wings of Freedom: An American Portrait." The concert will focus on the historic and regional fibers that bind our nation. Utilizing both vocal and instrumental settings, this two-hour tribute is a moving homage to America. A sample of the selections that will be performed include "You're a Grand Old Flag," "God Bless America," "The Armed Forces Tribute," "God Bless the U.S.A.," and many others. Frampton, a concert pianist, has toured worldwide for almost 30 years, performing nearly 3,000 concerts in all 50 states, Canada, Europe and Asia. He has also been a soloist pianist with many of the major orchestras, including Atlanta, Cincinati, Oakland and the Boston Pops. He has released 20 albums during his career. Part of the instrumental ensemble will include renowned trumpeter and soloist Cecil Welch. Welch traveled and performed internationally with Henry Mancini until Mancini's death in 1994. Today, Cecil and Frampton tour nationally with their own 17-piece Hollywood Hills Orchestra. Vocalists Sam Hagan and Kit Porthero will be performing all of your patriotic favorites alongside the other musicians. Both are extremely talented performers. Hagan has become one of the most beloved tenors of his generation. His background includes studies with the Metropolitan Opera, and engagements with the orchestras of Atlanta, Cleveland and Cincinnati. Kit's academic training includes degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, advanced training in Europe and assistantships at the Tanglewood Music Center. Equally at home with pop and the classics, Kit charms an audience with her vibrancy and engaging personality. For further information about the Memorial Day Tribute Concert contact Nancy Price at Fayetteville Main Street, 770-461-6029. Local Memorial Day organizers are encouraging area residents to join in a national moment of silence Monday at 3 p.m.. The 4th Annual Peachtree City Memorial Day celebration, to be held Monday at City Hall Plaza beginning at 7:45 a.m., will feature a display of military anti-aircraft weapons. The Avenger Air Defense Weapon System is a lightweight, heat-seeking missile system used to counter the threat of low altitude, high-speed fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft. It is mounted on a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HumVee) and can be used in adverse weather, day or night. The firing unit consists of two turret mounted Stinger missile pods, a .50 caliber machine gun, a forward looking infrared laser range finder as well as other target tracking devices. The turret can rotate 360 degrees and can engage a target from a stationary position or on the move. The firing system, which is operated by a crew of two, can also be operated remotely. The HumVee-mounted Avenger systems will in the parking lot near the front of the library beginning at 7:30 a.m. Monday and will remain there until the end of the celebration. Marines from the 4th Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion will be on hand to demonstrate the equipment. The public is invited to this unique hands-on experience to actually operate the remote system that activates the unit. The public is invited to the Memorial Day Celebration, May 27, beginning at 7:45 a.m. at the VFW Memorial at City Hall Plaza in Peachtree City. A golf cart procession starting at the Gathering Place and going around Lake Peachtree to the Plaza will also be open to the public to join. Coffee and donuts will be served at the Gathering Place at 7 a.m., and the procession will begin promptly at 7:30. Participants are encouraged to decorate their carts in a patriotic motif. This year's celebration will include music by the Air National Guard Band of the South, a military band that plays concerts worldwide. They will perform all ceremonial music, and a concert immediately following the ceremony at approximately 9 a.m. Spectators are encouraged to plan to stay for the concert, which will end approximately 10:15. There will be honors to the flag, a reading of the top winner in the student essay contest, and other pageantry. There will also be a special surprise to be unveiled at the ceremony. This year's celebration will also feature light refreshments such as donuts, coffee, juice and bagels for the public. For more information on the event, contact the Recreation Department at 770-631-2542. In addition to both these events, the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, honors those who died for our country. At 3 p.m. Monday, Americans are invited to pause for a moment of silence wherever they may be, and whatever they may be doing. In this act of national unity to honor our country's fallen, many communities, radio stations and public events, for example, mark the moment by playing "Taps." "Our early-morning Memorial Day celebration will be a fitting tribute and a time for many citizens to come together," said Randy Gaddo, coordinator for the 4th annual ceremony at City Hall Plaza. "But this moment of silence is a way for all Americans to demonstrate national unity and resolve in the face of the challenge that awaits us." The Commission's purpose is to sustain the American spirit through acts of remembrance, not only on Memorial Day, but throughout the year. The commission serves as a banner to encourage Americans of all ages to take a moment every day to reflect on the blessings of our land and to demonstrate our gratitude by giving back to our nation.
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