Welcome Home event merges with veterans parade, Benghazi-Twin Towers memorial ride and air show
Veterans will receive their due honor Saturday.
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., three robust events will be held to honor U.S. military veterans. The day starts in the Andrews First Baptist Church parking lot at 9 a.m., when the Welcome Home Veterans Parade will be held on Main Street. The Town of Andrews is putting on the parade. Entry is free, and all are welcome.
Around the same time, the annual Benghazi-Twin Towers Memorial Ride and Veterans Appreciation Event will start at Towns County Veterans Park, 1400 U.S. 76 in Hiawassee, Ga. All motorcycles and patriotic vehicles on two-four wheels can participate in the escorted memorial procession flying the U.S. flag, flashing lights and blowing horns to honor our nation’s fallen heroes. Registration closes at 9:30 a.m.
The group will travel to Western Carolina Regional Airport, where they will ride the length of the runway in joining the annual Welcome Home – A Tribute to All Who Serve celebration with a memorial at 12:30 p.m. Several thousand people are expected to attend in large part due to the special air show, featuring vintage aircraft and the Special Forces Parachute Jump Team, with the North Star Airshow group kicking off the event with aerial maneuvers at 1 p.m.
The Rude Carpenters Band and Az Us will be playing in Hangar A from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. as ceremonies continue on the front stage. There will be the presentation of colors and a flag-folding demonstration. Stephen Phillips and Sherry Raines will be masters of ceremonies for the event.
There will be 37 vendors offering services, and veterans will have access to goods and services from clothing needs to dental care in the Veterans Stand Down. Come hungry, as food trucks will entice guests, along with the annual chili-cook off and free Mayfield ice cream.
American Legion Post 532 of Hayesville created the event, with assistance from Post 96 of Murphy and sponsorship from Ivie Funeral Home, to offer veterans an honored “welcome home,” as many soldiers
were not treated well when they returned home after completing their service time.
The event is free to the public with the exception of food trucks, which will donate 15 percent of their sales toward next year’s Welcome Home event.