Andrews – While everything is contingent on the status of the coronavirus, John Bandy thinks the new Veterans Day event to be held Oct. 31 at Western Carolina Regional Airport will be the biggest event of the year.
“It’s going to be great,” Bandy said at a planning meeting on June 26.
The event combines two events held in Andrews
and Murphy last year, while taking some of the pressure off of veterans so they can better enjoy the day. Bandy, one of the organizers of the event at the airport last year, led the meeting. The group said they’d rather start planning the event and be ready to hold it if possible rather than wait until the last minute.
The event does not have a formal name yet, but plans to include at least Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties. Representatives from all three counties were at the meeting.
The event will include a parade through downtown Andrews, followed by a free event and food at the airport. The event will be financed by Ivie Funeral Home, which has sponsored an annual meal for veterans.
John Giddens, veterans service officer for Cherokee County, said funds donated by the Cherokee Scout last year have been set aside for magnets to be placed on classic cars transporting the oldest area veterans in the parade. They could also be used for prizes for a parade float contest for veterans organizations.
The group hopes to have a military flyby at the event, but if it’s not possible due to coronavirus restrictions, airport manager Gayland Trull said he’ll organize local pilots for a flyby.
“We’ll have some planes flying,” he said.
Giddens said some things planned for the veteran stand-down area of the event were on hold because of the coronavirus. About 30 vendors are waiting to see what the effects of COVID-19 would be.
The group also discussed having activities to draw families and children to the event. The group plans to meet again at the end of July.
Plans start for Veterans Day
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