Several local ceremonies will commemorate Memorial Day next Monday, May 30.
Fayette County Post 105 of The American Legion will be hosting a county-wide Memorial Day Ceremony again this year to honor America’s military heroes. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. and end promptly at noon.
The traditional graveyard ceremony will be held at the historic Fayetteville City Cemetery amongst the flag decorated graves of the veterans buried there.
The cemetery is located next to the Fayette County Board of Education offices just off Ga. Highway 54. All residents of Fayette County are invited to attend and bring their lawn chairs.
The keynote address will be from U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland, 3rd District of Georgia. There will also be remarks from state Senator Ronnie Chance and Representative Matt Ramsey during the ceremony.
Fayetteville Historian John Lynch will again offer some of the interesting local history of the cemetery.
The Sandy Creek AF JROTC Color Guard will present the colors and members of the McIntosh High School Band will perform the National Anthem. The Sons of the American Revolution will fire a musket volley in salute of the veterans buried there and Taps will sound to close the ceremony.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place at the nearby American Legion Log Cabin, south of the intersection of Hwys. 85 and 54, next to the Fayetteville Fire House.
On Memorial Day in Peachtree City this year, Roy Mooney will share history that he lived as one of the few remaining survivors of the Day of Infamy, Pearl Harbor.
“The longest day of my life was Dec. 7, 1941,” Mooney recalls vividly, remembering how he narrowly survived the Japanese sneak attack that officially drew America into WWII. Mooney, now well into his 80s, is one of only about 30 known Pearl Harbor survivors in Georgia and less than 3,000 nationwide.
The event 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 and winds around a scenic route skirting Lake Peachtree before being heralded into the plaza by marching music.
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 and taps played by a bugler. Featured singing groups will perform music before, during and after the event. Local teen singer and songwriter Lindee Link will perform, as will “Men of the Mill,” a student men’s a capella group from Starr’s Mill.
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 Veterans Memorial in City Hall/Library Plaza unless weather turns inclement, in which case it will be 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. The Kiwanis Club of Peachtree City, VFW Post 9949, local American Legion posts 105 and 50, the local Marine Corps League detachment and the City’s Recreation Department jointly support this event. Call 770-631-2542 for more information.
Anyone who has served in the military, or who has had a loved one deployed in the military, knows how important a phone call home can be. On Memorial Day, anyone coming to the Peachtree City celebration can help ensure that deployed troops get plenty of phone calls home. The event will be accepting Cell Phones for Soldiers.
People can bring their old, defunct cell phones and place them in a collection bin. Memorial Day organizers will get them to a local drop off point.
Cell Phones for Soldiers is a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, that was started in 2004 by a brother and sister, Robbie and Britanny Berquist, using $21 of their own money. Since then it has grown to collect more than 7.5 million cell phones and provide military personnel with more than 90 million minutes of pre-paid calling cards.
The program’s main revenue stream comes from the recycling of used cell phones. The phones are sent to recycling company ReCellular, which pays Cell Phones for Soldiers for each donated phone – enough to provide an hour of talk time to soldiers abroad.
“Cell Phones for Soldiers started as a small way to show our family’s appreciation for the men and women who have sacrificed the day-to-day contact with their own families to serve in the U.S. armed forces,” says the teens’ father, Bob Bergquist. “Over the past few years, we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of others. But, we have also seen the need to support our troops continue to grow as more troops are sent overseas for longer assignments.
Senoia’s 6th annual Memorial Day Celebration and Festival begins at 10 a.m. Make plans to bring the entire family for a fun day of patriotic celebration. Space is currently available for antiques and handmade arts and crafts vendors (no buy/sell items) as well as parade participants. Entry forms for vendors and parade participants are available at www.senoia.com or www.enjoysenoia.com.
Entertainment begins at 10 a.m. and the Memorial Day program with keynote speaker Army Lt. Colonel Matthew P. Ruzicka will start at noon. The 116th Army Band, Civil and Revolutionary War re-enactors, veterans, civic groups, businesses, Scouts and Shriners are scheduled to be in the parade which steps off at 2 p.m. World War II veterans will serve as the grand marshals.
A pre and post parade show will be emceed by Scott Sargeant and Charlie Filkins, The Car Guys. Entertainment, a food court, children’s activities and vendors will be available throughout the day. This fun and free event is sponsored by the Senoia Downtown Development Authority.
For further information, contact Gail Downs at 770-599-9155 or Suzanne Helfman at 770-599-8182.
At dark, a fireworks display will be presented by the city of Senoia at Marimac Lakes Park on Pylant Street. Bring your blankets, chairs, and picnics to celebrate an old-fashioned evening of family fun.
