Peachtree City is announcing a Call to Action for past and present military men and women. If you or one of your family members is currently serving in the military, is retired, or has served but is no longer living, Peachtree City wants to recognize them. Simply go to the Peachtree City website, www.peachtree-city.org and click on PTC Honors its Troops.
Fill out the individual’s name, rank and branch of service. You will then be given the choice of selecting Active Duty, Reserves, Has Served, Retired and In Memory.
Those names will then be scrolled on a screen May 29 at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater as The Army Ground Forces Band performs the Armed Forces Medley.
The free concert is part of the Memorial Day weekend activities. It is also the culmination of a day filled with events that will honor the homecoming of Lt. Daniel Berschinski. Other events include The All American Race sponsored by the Peachtree City Running Club and Regions Bank which begins at 8 a.m., a motorcade and motorcycle parade beginning in Fayetteville at 11:30 a.m.. a ceremony at Peachtree City plaza at City Hall at 1 p.m. and finally the Army Ground Forces Band scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at The Fred.
For further information about the concert or days events, contact Nancy Price at 678-364-6945 or email her at nprice@amphitheater.org.
This year’s Peachtree City Memorial Day will honor those who have died in service to the United States but will highlight the sacrifices made by families of those who give their lives or who are injured in battle.
This year’s event on Monday, May 31, will start at 9 a.m. with color guards leading a golf cart procession into City Hall/Library Plaza. The golf cart procession, open to the public, steps off from The Gathering Place at 8:30 a.m. and winds around a scenic route skirting Lake Peachtree before being heralded into the plaza by marching music.
“It is vitally important to our existence as a nation that we never forget the many who have died throughout our history to protect the precious freedoms Americans are privileged with,” said Randy Gaddo, Director of Leisure Services and the event’s planner. “But for every man or woman who dies, there are many family members who must bear that loss forever. It is equally important that they know others share their pain and that they are not alone in their grief.”
This message is especially poignant here as several local families have suffered death or serious injury to their service member over the past year or more.
The guest speaker this year, Pat Stansbury, will highlight the role of military families. Stansbury is the Executive Director of the National Museum of Patriotism in Atlanta and is the mother of a West Point graduate who has had multiple combat deployments.
The event will also feature a special presentation to a local military family, details to be announced. The singing group Music Alive! will begin performing introductory music at City Hall/Library Plaza at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m. after the golf cart procession arrives, honors to the flag will commence, followed by a memorial wreath presentation by the local veterans organizations. The National Anthem will be sung accapella by local song writer and recording artist Lindee Link. The student winner of a local VFW writing contest will read the winning essay. There will be static displays of vintage military equipment, refreshments for spectators and more.
The event is held outdoors at the VFW Memorial in City Hall/Library Plaza unless weather turns inclement, when it is moved across the street to the First Presbyterian Church.
Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday in May since 1971; prior to that it was observed each year on May 30. This national holiday is set aside to remember Americans who, throughout this country’s history, have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of defending and supporting the founding values and principles.
The origins of Memorial Day are subject to interpretation; however, it is generally believed that it had its roots in the American Civil War and it has evolved through the ages.
The Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City, VFW Post 9949, local American Legion posts, the local Marine Corps League detachment and the City’s Recreation Department jointly support this event. Call 770-631-2542 for more information.
