Wilmore honors veterans with a variety of weekend activities
Published 11:41 am Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Photo by Nick Hon
Photo by Nick Hon
Photo by Nick Hon
Photo by Nick Hon
Photo by Nick Hon
Photo by Nick Hon
The Veterans Day celebration in Wilmore began on Friday with an afternoon program at Wilmore Elementary. The program featured vocal performances of patriotic songs by the Wilmore MusicMakers, which is comprised of fourth and fifth grade students. In addition, Mrs. Kim Saunders, a military veteran on staff at the school, was recognized for her service to her country.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Amy McGrath, a former fighter pilot in the U.S. Marines, was the keynote speaker at the assembly. McGrath told the audience her story and the journey of her career, before answering some of the many questions the students had for her.
On Saturday, morning, the festivities resumed downtown, when the annual Veterans Day parade began on Main Street and concluded at Thomson-Hood Veterans Center.
At the conclusion of the parade, Thomson-Hood began its own annual program, which featured music by the Fellowship Band Orchestra under the direction Dr. Nathan Miller, invocation and benediction by Chaplain Maj. (Ret.) Robert Barnard and an address by keynote speaker Mark Bowman, the director of OKVC. Additional remarks were made by Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater and Thomson-Hood’s administrator, Maj. (Ret.) Ben Sweger, before certificates of appreciation were given to the veterans in attendance.
