Dade City held its first Veterans Day celebration in many years on the morning of November 7 at Veterans Park, the city’s newest park. A small crowd gathered for a ceremony coordinated with Pasco County Parks and Recreation and Pasco County Veterans Services.
Abigail Harlow, a student at Prelude Academy in Dade City, opened the ceremony with a performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner." The Zephyrhills Civil Air Patrol presented the colors. Elder Aaron B. Hayes, Sr. led the invocation honoring America’s veterans and their families.
Dade City Mayor Scott Black told the crowd this was the first Veterans Day celebration the city had held in many years. He said the park was created from land provided by the White Sinkhorn and Macintosh families, both of whom served in the U.S. military. Black also noted that the Seaboard Air Line Depot once stood east of the park along the trail, where many young men of Dade City boarded trains to serve the country.
Mayor Pro Tem Normita "Angel" Woodard, a wartime veteran herself, spoke about honoring veterans’ sacrifices and service. She said she hopes the event will become a lasting tradition. "My hope is this will not simply become another event on our calendar, but the beginning of a lasting tradition," Woodard said. Black credited Woodard with the vision for the ceremony, which began a year before the event.
Black then gave a brief history of Veterans Day, which is observed on November 11 at the eleventh hour. Jenn McGregor of the American Legion Auxiliary also spoke at the event.
Originally reported by Hernando Sun
