Submitted by Gail Smith
Voice of a Vet task force members have been feverishly preparing for a very busy and memorable first week in May.
Our events will begin on Tuesday, May 5, with our Debt to a Vet fundraiser at Brown’s Brewery in Walloomsac beginning at 4 pm. Funds raised at this event will support two of the primary programs our task force will be focusing on in 2015 – our Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home on August 8 and our ongoing Town of Hoosick Tribute Flag Program. Debt to a Vet will be a family friendly, alcohol-free event that will feature Giffy’s Chicken Bar-B-Q from 4:30 to 6:30, HFCS Jazz Band at 5 pm, a Silent Auction from 4 to 8 pm, and a live Auction of Dessert at 6:30. Brown’s will be serving up root beer floats made with their very own root beer and there will be a display of Liberty and her travels. Chicken Bar-B-Q tickets can be purchased for $11.50 at Thorpe’s Pharmacy, Hoosick Federal Credit Union, The Senior Citizens Center, Brown’s Brewery, or through Gail Smith (686-9888) or Joyce Brewer (258-5772).
We have just added another event on Friday, May 8. Students who were involved in the Hawaii program, along with other students who are interested, will be leading a flag raising ceremony at 8 am. Liberty will fly into Saturday morning to honor all Town of Hoosick residents who are currently serving in the military. If you are serving or are a family member of someone who is, please join us. The public is also invited to attend. Students will conduct the ceremony and provide the music.
On Saturday morning, May 9, the Patriot Guard Riders will take Liberty down from HFCS and escort her to HF Community Alliance Church for the Tribute Flag Program and Cemetery Walk. At 10 am there will be light refreshments and you can check out the display of Liberty’s travels to date. At 10:30 we will be playing videos from the home front, and at 11 am, the PGR and HFCS students will share their experiences escorting Liberty to Civil War and Hawaiian destinations. We will end the morning with Special Recognitions. We will then board busses and go to St. Mary’s and Maple Grove Cemeteries where we will honor Town of Hoosick men who were killed in battle. PGR will perform similar ceremonies to those they officiated down south.
Come out and join us in honoring the men and women who have made our freedom possible. For more information contact Gail Smith.