ership Moo #1Come visit Aaron Cooper
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e 910.
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ore
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• #1 customer satisfaction rated
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& our community.
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SANDHILLS VETERANS continued
SANDHILLS VETERANS con't from FRONT PAGE
kind donations are used specifically to bring
this tremendous event to fruition. A special
thank you to our 2018 Sponsors: Crossroads
Ford Lincoln of Southern Pines, Children of
Fallen Heroes, Cox's Double-Eagle Harley
Davidson of Pinehurst, Leith Chrysler-Dodge-
Jeep-Ram of Aberdeen, The Town of Southern
Pines Recreation and Parks, and Cooper Ford of
Carthage.
In April of 1917, the United States
inescapably entered the Great War known today
as WWI, joining the Allied Forces comprised
of Russian, French, and the British forces,
which were fighting the Central
Powers of Germany and Austria-
Hungary. This war involved
tens of millions of people from
across the globe, four million
of which came from the United
States. Many young American
patriots from the Sandhills of
North Carolina answered their
country’s call to duty without
hesitation and made incredible
sacrifices. Nineteen months
later, on 11 November 1918, at
11:00 a.m. in Paris, a historic
event took place that would cease the fighting.
The signing of the Armistice signified, and to
this day commemorates the end of WWI. It was
on this day that the Central Powers surrendered
to the Allies, officially ending the war.
Since the signing of the Armistice in 1918,
there have only been a handful of Armistice or
Veterans Day celebrations in Southern Pines.
The very first parade took place in the streets
of downtown Southern Pines 1921, and the last
parade took place in 1941 when 1,200 members
of the 209th Coast Artillery along with their
band, marched through downtown, after which
they were given two hours of leave, which they
spent visiting with locals and shopping.
In 2012, at the request of town and local
veteran leaders the Southern Pines Veterans
Parade was reinvigorated. A small team of highly
motivated and extremely dedicated veterans led
the charge, and in 67 days the town of Southern
Pines had its first Veterans Parade in 71 years. The
late David Woodruff, a son of Southern Pines, a
renowned local historian, and author wrote,
“With 12% of Moore County’s population being
military veterans, there is no doubt this was the
right thing to do. In some circles, Southern Pines
is known as a military town.” David Woodruff was
instrumental in the vision, growth, and evolution
of the Sandhills Vet Fest and the Southern
Pines Veterans Parade. On 10 November 2018,
at 10 a.m., the 501(c)(3) non-profit Southern
Pines Veterans Parade in the Sandhills will
be commemorating their 6th
annual Veterans Parade.
Like our community, we also
take great pride in fulfilling our
mission to, “Support Our Troops
and Honor Our Veterans,”
and living up to our motto,
“For Veterans, By Veterans.”
This is a very planning, labor,
and financially intensive
undertaking, and we would like
to take this moment to express
our unconditional appreciation
to the town of Southern Pines,
our selfless active duty troops and veterans, our
military families, our generous sponsors, and
dedicated volunteers, for without this winning
combination, there would certainly not be a
Southern Pines Veterans Parade or a Sandhills Vet
Fest. Please visit www.sandhillsveteransfestival.
com, or visit Google, Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram: Sandhills Vet Fest for the schedule
of events, information on becoming a sponsor
for this tremendous series of events, or a patriot
volunteer helping to make this happen for our
community.
Finally, we hope to see you at our first official
2018 Sandhills Vet Fest event from 6-9 p.m. on
27 October, the FREE Cooper Ford Sandhills
Veterans Concert sponsored by and held at
Cooper Ford featuring Becca Rae, Whiskey
Pines, and the Market Place Food Truck. We
hope to see you there! This event will be held
SANDHILLS VETERANS con't. next column outdoors, so bring your lawn chairs!
p.6 The Pinehurst Gazette, Inc. No. 132
/www.cooperford.net
/www.sandhillsveteransfestival