Posted 12:09 am Sunday, November 11, 2007
Red, White And Blue Fest Honors Veterans
By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer
BULLARD - Bullard residents and city leaders honored veterans at the annual Red, White and Blue Fest on Saturday.
Normally held on Memorial Day in May, Chamber of Commerce President Danny Ray said the organization changed the date to coincide with Veterans Day - and its corresponding cooler temperatures.
It was a decision that honored the late Cecil Harper, a Navy veteran and chamber member who asked last year that the festival be moved to a cooler season to help keep aging veterans from becoming overexposed in hot weather.
The pleasing temperatures were a boon for turnout, Ray said. A record 2,500 people attended the day's events, which included a parade in the morning, live music and vendors throughout the day and a street dance at night. Other highlights included a Trinity Mother Frances Health System helicopter that flew in and landed in the downtown square for display. The Bullard Volunteer Fire Department also conducted fire-fighting games and obstacle courses during the day.
In the balmy afternoon air, Rodney Erskine opened up a portable easel and set about painting the downtown scene.
"We go to festivals and paint these scenes in a style called 'plein air,' or 'open air,'" he explained.
The resulting image was a semi-impressionistic view of the shops, square and entertainment stage, with happy tourists milling about. His works, which he offered for sale at a nearby booth, included views of the Smith County Courthouse and Rick's On The Square during festival times last year.
One happy tourist at the Bullard festival was Lester, a ring-tailed Lemur from Madagascar. Lester joyfully leapt from candy wrapper to candy wrapper, licking whatever sticky residue remained. His owner, Laura Beth Arnold, kept him on a tight leash as she relaxed in the shade of a tent.
"He's just like a 2-year-old," she said. "I've had to child-proof my house."
The odd pet, a primate to be exact, came to her family six months ago when a petting zoo couldn't keep up with him anymore.
"He is the most fun little creature," she said. "The most annoying, too."
At noon, the town honored more than 50 veterans and family members of soldiers currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They all stood on the main stage as tributes were played in their honor. Members of each branch of the military and each war, dating back to World War II, were represented.
"The whole idea of this festival at the beginning was to honor our veterans," Ray said.
Staff Writer
BULLARD - Bullard residents and city leaders honored veterans at the annual Red, White and Blue Fest on Saturday.
Normally held on Memorial Day in May, Chamber of Commerce President Danny Ray said the organization changed the date to coincide with Veterans Day - and its corresponding cooler temperatures.
It was a decision that honored the late Cecil Harper, a Navy veteran and chamber member who asked last year that the festival be moved to a cooler season to help keep aging veterans from becoming overexposed in hot weather.
The pleasing temperatures were a boon for turnout, Ray said. A record 2,500 people attended the day's events, which included a parade in the morning, live music and vendors throughout the day and a street dance at night. Other highlights included a Trinity Mother Frances Health System helicopter that flew in and landed in the downtown square for display. The Bullard Volunteer Fire Department also conducted fire-fighting games and obstacle courses during the day.
In the balmy afternoon air, Rodney Erskine opened up a portable easel and set about painting the downtown scene.
"We go to festivals and paint these scenes in a style called 'plein air,' or 'open air,'" he explained.
The resulting image was a semi-impressionistic view of the shops, square and entertainment stage, with happy tourists milling about. His works, which he offered for sale at a nearby booth, included views of the Smith County Courthouse and Rick's On The Square during festival times last year.
One happy tourist at the Bullard festival was Lester, a ring-tailed Lemur from Madagascar. Lester joyfully leapt from candy wrapper to candy wrapper, licking whatever sticky residue remained. His owner, Laura Beth Arnold, kept him on a tight leash as she relaxed in the shade of a tent.
"He's just like a 2-year-old," she said. "I've had to child-proof my house."
The odd pet, a primate to be exact, came to her family six months ago when a petting zoo couldn't keep up with him anymore.
"He is the most fun little creature," she said. "The most annoying, too."
At noon, the town honored more than 50 veterans and family members of soldiers currently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They all stood on the main stage as tributes were played in their honor. Members of each branch of the military and each war, dating back to World War II, were represented.
"The whole idea of this festival at the beginning was to honor our veterans," Ray said.
