Veterans Day, March of Dimes Walk top weekend

Published 10:16 pm Thursday, November 9, 2017

Saturday will be Veteran’s Day and several churches and businesses around the county will host events to honor our men and women who have served our country, but there will also be plenty of other events over the holiday weekend as well.

On Saturday at 11 a.m., a Veteran’s Day service will be held at the Troup County Veteran’s Memorial at the Troup County Government Center at 100 Ridley Avenue. This will be the 12th year that the service has taken place at the memorial at the government building, which was installed in 2005.

“It is all designed to remind people of the contributions of veterans and to raise their patriotic spirit,” said Bernard Bledsoe of the West Georgia Veteran’s Council. “So, we present the colors, and we have everybody participate in the presentation of the flag, and we have everybody participate in singing the national anthem.”

Veterans from various branches will be recognized at the event and Claudia Turner, CSM, (Ret.) USAR is scheduled to speak at the service. The event will be hosted by member organizations of the West Georgia Veterans Council. The member organizations hosting the event are American Legion Post 75, Disabled American Veterans Chapter 31, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4629, Military Officers Association of America Lafayette Chapter and the 1st Sgt. Charles F. Waller Detachment 1040 Marine Corps League Detachment.

Chattabrewchee Southern Brewhouse will host Buy a Vet a Beer on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. The brewery boasts being the only brewery in the U.S. owned by a woman on active duty and is co-owned by her husband who is also a military veteran. The owners, Michael and Kathy Denehy, encourage the community to come out and support veterans at this event.

All branches of the library will be closed on Saturday in honor of Veteran’s Day.

Football

Chick-fil-A will hold a one day only event at 400 North 3rd Avenue in West Point to celebrate the historic 125-year rivalry between Georgia and Auburn on the Georgia-Alabama line from 12:30 to 7 p.m. on Saturday. Free sandwiches and treats will be given out at the event, and a large outdoor screen for viewing the Auburn-Georgia game will be set up on site. Wristbands for entry to the event are available for free at West Point and Lanett city halls.

Performances

The Lafayette Society of Performing Arts will perform “Kids Say the Darndest Things” at the Lafayette Theatre Academy’s Black Box Theatre at 214 Bull Street on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. The play is based on Art Linkletter’s bestselling book and will feature first through sixth-graders from Carol Cain’s Creative Dramatics program. Tickets are $17 for adults and $12 for students.

The theater doors will open one hour before show time for picnic seating, and guests are invited to bring food and non-alcoholic beverages to the event. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted at academy shows. For more information, visit Lsparts.org or call (706) 882-9909.

Pure Life Studios will host Hiroya Tsukamoto on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at 206 Clark Street. This will be the folk artist’s third performance at the venue, and it is expected to draw a crowd. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit Purelifelagrange.com.

Christmas season

The 25th annual March of Dimes Night Walk at Fantasy in Lights will take place at Callaway Gardens beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday. Warm clothes and comfortable shoes are recommended for the walk, which is five miles with a shuttle ride or seven miles without the shuttle, and there will be a shuttle available for participants who are unable to complete the walk. Tickets are $21 per adult, $10.50 per child ages 6 to 12 and free for children 5 years-old and younger. Stroller or wagons are recommended for young children. There will be hot chocolate and cookies at the pavilion after the walk.

The walk will benefit the March of Dimes and the Ida Cason Callaway Foundation. Tickets can be purchased today until 11:45 p.m. at Callawaygardens.com or on the day of the event in lane 10 at Robin Lake Beach. Ticket purchase includes admission to Callaway Gardens on Saturday.

If you would rather ride your bike through the lights, Callaway Gardens will host Bicycle Night at Fantasy in Lights on Sunday starting at 6 p.m. Tickets will cost $21 for adults, $10.50 for children ages 6 to 12 and children 5-years-old or younger are free. Cyclists are required to wear a helmet and have a light on either their helmet or bicycle for safety reasons. A limited number of bikes will also be available to rent at the event. No personal vehicles will be allowed through Fantasy in Lights during the event.