Local communities honor Memorial Day

This year’s Memorial Day festivities will kick-off Saturday, though most of the annual holiday events will be held on Monday. Cities from Fayette, Coweta and south Fulton counties have organized events that locals are encouraged to participate in, and celebrations range from morning ceremonies to all-day festivals.

Fayetteville

As part of the long weekend, Fayetteville will play host to a Saturday evening concert by the Armed Forces Ground Band. The free concert will feature patriotic music starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Villages Amphitheater in downtown Fayetteville.

Headquartered at Fort McPherson, the Armed Forces Ground Band has twice been awarded the internationally acclaimed Colonel George S. Howard Citation of Musical Excellence for Military Concert Bands. The musicians of the Concert Band are among the finest in the Army Band Program, with many having studied music at some of the finest universities and conservatories, both in the United States and abroad.

The band’s members frequently share these talents with music students of all ages through the Army Ground Forces Band’s Education Outreach Program.

Under the direction of the band’s commander, Major Daniel J. Steiger, this talented group maintains a large and varied repertoire that includes all facets of traditional and contemporary wind literature, as well as orchestral transcriptions, marches, instrumental and vocal solos, popular tunes, and patriotic music.

Fayetteville’s Monday activities will begin promptly at 11 a.m. at the Fayetteville city cemetery with the annual ceremony to honor America’s veterans, several of which are interred there.

Speakers will include Fayetteville historian John Lynch, who will share details about the veterans interred at the cemetery and ret. Maj. Gen. Ted Mallory. The keynote message will come from ret. Army Col. Ed Sherwood, who also serves as a pastor.
Music will be provided the Whitewater High School brass ensemble.

The ceremony will end with the playing of “Taps” and a musket volley from the Sons of the American Revolution.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the nearby Log Cabin of American Legion Post 105, which is hosting the ceremony. The Log Cabin is located on Ga. Highway 85 south just across the street from the Fayette County administrative complex.

Each American veteran interred at the cemetery will have a flag placed on their headstone in their honor on Sunday by a team of Boy Scouts, American Legion spokesperson Dave Niebes said.

Persons attending the ceremony are asked to park at the nearby parking lot of the Fayette County Board of Education and walk to the cemetery, where parking is extremely limited.

Peachtree City

Prior to the official 9 a.m. start time of Peachtree City’s ceremony, the annual patriotic golf cart procession from the Gathering Place around Lake Peachtree to City Hall Plaza will take place beginning at 8:30 a.m. The public is invited to join the procession. More than 200 patriotically-decorated golf carts are normally involved, organizers said.

This year’s event will feature the accomplishments and challenges of modern battlefield medicine. The guest speaker will be Rear Admiral Richard R. Jeffries, the Medical Officer of the Marine Corps. The Navy provides medical care for Marines in every “clime’ and place” they serve, including the current battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The top Marine Corps doctor is no stranger to battlefields. Jeffries has spent the better part of his 31 year Navy career assigned to Marine Corps units. This includes combat Operation Desert Shield in 1990 and the humanitarian mission during 1992’s Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. He also deployed as a surgeon in support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. He reported to his current post in November 2005.

The singing group Music Alive! will begin performing introductory music at city hall plaza at 8:30 a.m. and at 9 a.m. honors to the flag will commence, followed by a memorial wreath presentation by the local VFW post 9949 and more music.

The top winner of the Memorial Day student essay contest will read the winning entry and all top finishers will receive awards. This year’s theme, “Let Freedom Ring: Thanking Those Who Have Sacrificed,” extends the meaning of Memorial Day as a time to not only honor those who have died in service to America, but also those who have been wounded in the line of duty.

Last year’s essay contest winner, eighth grader Matthew Trebuchon, will also read his winning entry from last year.

The event is held outdoors at the VFW Memorial in City Hall Plaza. In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the First Presbyterian Church.

The Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City, VFW Post 9949, American Legion post 50 and the City’s Leisure Services Division jointly sponsor this event. Call 770-631-2542 for more information.

Senoia

Senoia will celebrate Memorial Day in a big way on Monday. The Downtown Development Authority and the City of Senoia will host its second annual Memorial Day Street Festival to honor veterans from wars past and present.

The event begins at 10 a.m. with entertainment all day. Street vendors will be on hand selling antiques, arts and handmade crafts; kids will have fun with pony rides, face painting, and inflatables; and featured displays include vintage cars and a living history exhibit. Also included in the day’s events will be Civil War re-enactors, Revolutionary War re-enactors, veterans and Shriners.

Food vendors will be on hand with pizza, hot dogs, baked goods, shaved ice, homemade ice cream, kettle corn and bbq for sale.
A parade through downtown Senoia will begin at 2 p.m. featuring U.S. Army Ground Forces Band.

“The Car Guys” Scott Sargeant and Charlie Filkins of 720 The Voice will emcee the celebration and Wesley Culpepper of WC Sounds will provide music all day.

Downtown festivities will continue until 5 p.m. and will lead into an evening fireworks display at Leroy Johnson Park on Howard Road.

For more information, call Gail Downs at 770-599-1959 or Suzanne Helfman at 770-599-8182.

Fairburn

The City of Fairburn and the Fairburn Business Association will sponsor a Memorial Day Observance beginning at 10 a.m. on the Old Campbell County Courthouse lawn.

The ceremony will begin with a presentation of colors followed by the singing of the national anthem, an invocation, comments by guest speaker ret. Maj. Gen. Larry Taylor, remarks and reflections by several participating veterans, including Master Sgt. Conchita Floyd, and will conclude with a benediction. The ceremony will also be highlighted by the appearance of the 116th Army Band.

Following the ceremony will be a parade through downtown Fairburn to Holly Hill Cemetery. The parade will include bands, a local color/honor guard, veterans as well as civic group members and others. Upon arrival at the cemetery, the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will place a wreath at the WWI monument. A gun salute and “Taps” will follow.

Taylor, the principal speaker for the commemoration, retired from the United States Marine Corps Reserve on Oct. 1, 1997 after 38 years of service- five years active and 33 reserve. Taylor was recalled to active duty and assumed command of the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command from Nov. 26, 2001 until May 22, 2002 to support the mobilization of reservists for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Floyd joined the Air Force Reserves in 1997. She is currently assigned to the 94th Communication Flight on Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Ga. and is the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Commander’s Support Staff. Floyd served during the Kosovo Campaign and recently returned from Southwest Asia where she served in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom with the 380th Expeditionary Mission Support Group.

The 116th Army Band was founded in 1859 in Atlanta. The band, the only Army National Guard band in Georgia, is the oldest military National Guard or Reserve band with service in the War Between the States, Confederate Service 1861-1862, the Mexican Expedition, WWI, with the 121st Infantry Division Band, WWII, 170th Field Artillery Band and the 48th Armor Division. In 1968 the band became an independent organization, known as the 116th Army Band.

The Department of Georgia VFW Honor Guard will present the colors, play “Taps” and perform a 21 gun salute. Department of Georgia VFW Chaplain James Gray will be the chaplain for the day and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will present a wreath appropriate to the occasion.

Veterans, civic organizations and others interested in participating in the line of march should contact Patrick Pallend at 770-969-6315.

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