An exciting salute to Fairhope Veterans
Alabama’s oldest Boy Scout Troop, 47-led off the Fairhope Veteran’s Day Parade in grand style. The parade was held this past Saturday and today will be the grand display of our, “Symbols of Sacrifice: Poppies for Veterans.”
A friend took this wonderful photo of the 3,400 handmade poppies after they were “planted” yesterday morning, surrounding our Veteran’s Memorial fountain.
The installment, overlooking Mobile Bay, will be on view all day today, (11/11/15) with a closing ceremony beginning at 4:45 and ending with the sunset. If you have purchased a poppy (1 for $20 or 3 for $50) you can pick it up at the close of the ceremony, or if it gets too dark, they’ll be available Thursday morning. Proceeds from sales will benefit local Veteran’s causes. I hope to have more photos of the final ceremony later.
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But back to the parade . . .
The first female Veteran of the Year was Kenya Thomas, who was a member of the US Army Reserve. Click HERE to read about her great service to our country. Congratulations, Kenya!
Jack Burrell, and Mike Ford (off camera) represented the City Council and marched in front of the popular Dogwood Trail Maids.
Daphne High School’s ROTC looked great as always.
And my favorite marching band sounded perfect as they played patriotic tunes.
Former Veteran of the Year, Clarence Bishop of B&B Pecans is always a crowd favorite.
Another form Veteran of the Year, Mawk Arnold was looking sharp.
And this little car was a huge crowd favorite, followed by . . .
this little airplane! I’d love to have this to drive downtown!
The City of Fairhope does an outstanding job supporting those who served by protecting our country and keeping us a free and prosperous country.
Wherever you are, I hope you have a beautiful Veteran’s Day and celebrate our freedom with gratitude and thanks to all who so bravely served the United States of America.
Great photos!
Ha. Thanks, husband-who-took-them-for-me-because-you’re-so-sweet!
Looks like a great turn out for a wonderful week. Have a great week Leslie Anne.
Thanks Katie. You too.
It was an honor to be included in the volunteers who made the ceramic poppies. We have had so many great comments from people of all ages, especially the older veterans.
I’m so glad you and many, many others took the time to work on this project. One thing that made it come together was the amazing number of volunteers who wanted to help! Having to make a reservation to make a poppy was the first sign this was going to be a huge success! I had such a fun time the day I got to help, and knowing it all benefits our veterans made it even better! Thanks Margaret!
This is a lovely parade and wonderful photos. I took special note of the Marine vet as yesterday was the 240th birthday of the United States Marine Corps and my husband is a Marine. The field of poppies is so pretty that it’s a shame to take it down. Once again, Fairhope shines as a stellar example of small-town America! Every post makes me want to move there and this one is no exception. God Bless America!
Thanks Rachel. I wish the poppies could have stayed up longer. We had Veterans spend the night last night in the park to make sure nothing happened to the flowers, but honestly, I doubt a single soul would have bothered them. Happy birthday to the Marines!
I love parades, especially ones that honor and celebrate true heroes. And those poppies! Beautiful!
Thanks Mo. The parade is different every year, but my favorite part is seeing the older Vets marching (or riding) by and waving to the crowd. It always makes me get a lump in my throat!
So awesome Leslie Anne! The poppies look incredible!
Great parade…when I was a Girl Scout oh somany years ago I marched in many a Veteran’s Day Parade. Great memories…Another reason to love Fairhope.
Although we have Girl Scouts in Fairhope, I never see them much. The Boy Scouts have such a strong legacy here with many of the local adult men having come through the troop, that they really support the boys. I’d love to see more girl scout action!
I love all things Patriotic and Fairhope was just showing out today!! And those POPPIES…love love love them!!
The poppies!!! What a great way to celebrate our veterans and raise funds to help them. Wish I could have seen that in person. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Judy
What a great tribute and that airplane!
I know! It looked like it was made from real airplane materials. It was a big crowd pleaser!