The 1st Annual Union County Veterans Appreciation Picnic will get underway in Wilson Park at 11:00 on Saturday, November 9. The Veteran Volunteers (chefs for the monthly American Legion Post 212 dinners on the first Monday of every month) will be serving lunch from 11:30 until 1:00. Due to a generous donation of 18 pork butts by a Mystery Donor, there will be plenty of free food to eat. Be sure to bring an appetite to this family oriented event!! All we ask is that each person be responsible for cleaning up after themselves. Every attendee will be given one free Door Prize ticket for the drawing after lunch. Hold on to your ticket as the door prizes are terrific! And be sure to bring your own chair!

Country musician Will Shepard will entertain during lunch from 11:00 to 1:00 followed by our own Country Gospel musician Harley Martin. Kimberly Dunn-Way will be available to face paint from noon until 2:00 for anyone who would like that done, and Becky Luthman will have games for kids to join in. Our own amazing Veteran Service Officer (VSO), retired Lt. Colonel Kevin Manley, will be available during the entire Family Picnic with applications for either active duty or Veterans plaques to go on the Veterans Wall. He is willing to assist any active duty or Veteran with questions or issues they may have. Be sure to find him – he wants to help!

Paula Knauss (mother of Army SSG Ryan Christian Knauss, killed by a terrorist explosion at the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport) will be at the Picnic to accept any donations for the Respect and Remember Foundation Careboxes for active military. (See Respect and Remember article for list of needed items.) The Union County Veterans will present her with a plaque at the Veterans Wall in the memory of her son.

The festivities will end at 3:00, but anyone who wants to volunteer for clean-up and take-down would be very welcome and much appreciated! Thank you for coming to celebrate and appreciate our Veterans!