By Matt de Simone
In honor of Veterans Day last Thursday, the Troutville Sunshine Girls honored local veterans with their annual Veterans Day program and lunch at Troutville Town Park. For early November, attendees experienced lovely weather that morning. The Girls brought the sunshine.
The event marked the 12th program put on by the Troutville Sunshine Girls honoring veterans on November 11. In previous years, the program took place inside Troutville Elementary School. Due to COVID-19 restrictions still preventing schools from holding assemblies, this was the first program held at Troutville Town Park.
The program kicked off at the Blue Star Memorial in front of the park at the 11th hour (11 a.m.), where Lee Henry of the Sunshine Girls made a few opening remarks highlighting the schedule of the event for the morning.
The Blue Star Memorials were first conceived after World War II to honor veterans. They were later changed to all members of the armed services past, present, and future and became a National Council of State Garden Clubs project.
Blue Star Highway markers were started in 1944 by the New Jersey State Council Garden Club. Since then, many garden clubs have participated by installing a Blue Star highway marker at rest areas.
Fincastle Garden Club joined the program in 2018 and installed a marker at the entrance past the bridge in Eagle Rock and a byway marker in Troutville Town Park. At Troutville Town Park’s Blue Star monument, several bricks rest around a flagpole with names representing those who have served or are still serving in the military.
The garden clubs felt this highway beautification project was a fitting memorial to the men and women who have fought or are now serving in defense of the United States. Funding for this marker has come from 6,884 members of the 259 clubs of the Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs. For each memorial, there is a memorial garden.
Troutville Town Park had a Blue Star Memorial By-Way marker placed in front of the grounds in 2018 (in addition to the Rt. 11 highway marker). A collection of bricks dedicated to local veterans surrounds the marker.
There are two Blue Star Memorial gardens in Botetourt County located in Eagle Rock and Troutville.
Shirley Mullins, who played a part in Troutville’s Blue Star Memorial By-Way, shared a few words thanking the veterans for their service.
Henry and other Sunshine Girls then led the veterans to the dining area for a medal ceremony and lunch provided by Rita Goodbar.
The Sunshine Girls presented 20 veterans with a medal and homemade cards made by local students from Troutville Elementary School and Lord Botetourt High School.
Some veterans shared stories of their time serving the country and thanked the Sunshine Girls for a lovely event.
Before the meal, Pastor Jeff Ritchley of Troutville Baptist Church made a special prayer honoring all veterans and blessed the meal.
Blue Star Memorial order forms are at Troutville Town Hall, and the cost is $50 per brick. Call 992-4401 for more information.
