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Courtland to honor veterans with Wings weekend

Decatur Daily - 3/21/2019

March 21-- Mar. 21--COURTLAND -- Transforming Courtland into a town from the 1940s won't be easy, but it's a way to honor military veterans and attract visitors, organizers of a second-year festival say.

Wings Over Courtland will expand in duration from six hours to three days when it returns April 26-28, said event founders Greg and Lisa Pace. Wings, which is free to attend, will focus on Courtland's role in training pilots at the town's air base during World War II and women who worked to support the Allied forces. Organizers are expecting nearly 3,000 visitors this year. Last year's event attracted about 300.

"The downtown square will have 1940s storefronts," Lisa Pace said. "Vendors will be dressed in fashions from that era. We will have a mock Army recruiting station set up on the square. The American flags will have 48 stars. We'll have interactive displays for all ages."

She said along with military veterans, "Rosie the Riveter" workers will be feted with a parade April 27.

"After the parade, we'll honor the veterans, have a flyover, a meet-and-greet session, dinner, dance, show and fireworks to end the evening," Lisa Pace said. "Veterans will either be riding in a vintage vehicle or a military vehicle."

She said the event could attract 200 military veterans.

A traveling Smithsonian exhibit, an up-close view of World War II training aircraft including AT-6 Texans and F4U Corsairs, modern flight simulators, rock climbing wall and walking tours are a few other events planned for the weekend. It's an official Alabama 200 Bicentennial event, Lisa Pace said.

On April 26, about 200 schoolchildren will visit educational exhibits and presentations.

On April 28, highlights will include a birthday party for the 100-year-old American Legion and a wreath-laying event.

But Greg Pace, Lisa's husband, said the reason for the celebration goes back to the men and women who have served to protect the country.

"In today's society, we're always too busy. People say, 'Our son has a T-ball game. Our son has a basketball game.' The men and women who are in the military have the same family issues," Greg Pace said. "But to serve others, they have to miss those times with family. They miss seeing their children growing up. They do that so we have the freedom we have today.

"We're honoring them because we're losing about 1,000 veterans a day in the United States."

Courtland Mayor Clarence Logston said he's happy the festival will bring people to town for three days.

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"Besides honoring our veterans and heritage, we'll hopefully be able to generate some revenue," he said. "The longer it runs, the more the more people you will see. The more people you get to town, the more positive impact you'll see. I think it's all a positive. We need all the positive we can get."

Linda Peebles, a Wings committee member and member of the Lawrence County History and Preservation Society, said the event is something the entire county should be excited about.

"It's bringing people to not just Courtland but to Lawrence County," she said. "The communities in the county need to quit segregating ourselves. We're a county. We need to support each other to help this county grow." The preservation society will be selling old photographs and volunteering at Wings, Peebles said.

Lisa Pace said Wings is still in search of volunteers, sponsors, pre-1945 vehicles and any military vehicle. She said interested groups and individuals should call her at 256-366-6796.

-- mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.

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