Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
The community is invited to participate in Veteran's Day events on Thursday, Nov. 11, including a breakfast, raffles, parade and fireworks. All events are sponsored by the Otto M. Walker American Legion Post 49 of Monticello.
Breakfast will be served at 8 a.m. at Post 49, located at 1065 S. Water St. The meal is free to veterans, while a donation is appreciated from other guests. No reservations are needed. Just show up! The menu includes grits, eggs, sausage, biscuits, sausage gravy and fruit cups. Major John Haynes, USMC, Ret. will address the breakfast-goers. He is the chairman Emeritus of the Florida Veterans Foundation and veteran of WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
Raffle tickets are being sold for $5 each. The Auxiliary is raffling off two old-variety rose bushes: a Louis Philippe and a Rubens. The other raffle item is a Remington 1911 R1 - .45 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol with a market value of $879. The drawing will take place at the breakfast gathering, but ticket holders do not need to be present to win.
Monticello's Veteran's Day Parade will start its procession at 11 a.m. The parade route begins two blocks south of the Jefferson County Courthouse and proceeds north on U.S. 19 to York Street. Community members are encouraged to come out and show support!
This year's Grand Marshal is Charles Reichert, a WWII Naval Veteran and member of Post 49. Among the parade participants will be the Jr. ROTC from Jefferson Somerset Academy and G-FAST (Georgia-Florida Aviation Search Team).
Applications to appear in the parade are being accepted through Monday, Nov. 8. The application states that the “parade is open to all who wish to honor those who served or are serving in the military and to those who have supported our military personnel by their actions at home.” For an application and more information about requirements, contact event organizer Ken Faircloth, Commander, Post 49, at (850) 509-2628 or ktfaircloth1@aol.com. There is no cost to enter the parade. Entrants will start lining up at 10 a.m. in advance of the 11 a.m. start time for the parade.
After the parade, veterans are invited to a free hotdog/hamburger lunch sponsored by Historical Mainstreet Monticello at American Legion Post 49. Donations are appreciated from other guests.
The day will end with fireworks! Gates open at 4 p.m. at the Jefferson football field on South Water Street, and the fireworks (provided by Ashley Pyrotechnics Inc. of Tallahassee) will start at 6:30 p.m. Community members are encouraged to arrive in time to enjoy music by the band Dirt Road Mafia, concessions by the American Legion Auxiliary and a static military vehicle display by G-FAST .
Veteran's Day, originally called Armistice Day, was established at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1919, when the Armistice agreement was signed to end World War I. Monticello's American Legion Post 49 was established the same year and named for Otto M. Walker, a WWI Veteran.
For more information about Veteran's Day events or American Legion Post 49, contact Ken Faircloth, Commander, Post 49, at (850) 509-2628 or ktfaircloth1@aol.com.