Memorial Day
In 1971 Memorial Day became a national holiday by act of Congress. It is now celebrated annually on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day and the history dates back to the American Civil War to honor soldiers who died during the war. Traditionally Memorial Day is viewed as a time to honor and remembrance. Throughout the USA it is common to visit cemeteries, especially military ones. Many will wear or put on display red poppies on this day as a symbol of fallen soldiers. This tradition grew out of the famous poem by Canadian John McCrae as "In Flanders's Fields".
At 11 a.m. Monday May 31, the Siloam Springs Killed in Action Memorial Committee will host a special program at the KIA Memorial located in the Siloam Springs Memorial Park. This will be a celebration of the fifth anniversary of the completion of this beautiful Memorial. The keynote speaker will be Lt. Governor Tim Griffin. During the program there will be special recognition and honor for the military names engraved on the on the memorial walls who were from Siloam Springs and paid the ultimate price of dying in battle to assure our freedoms.
I know that Memorial Day is a day for fun, family picnics and the "official" start of summer. However, I hope you and your family will attend this solemn program of remembrance, or the very least, take time during your day to pause and express your gratitude to all the thousands and thousands of military personnel that died in action to assure our freedoms here at home. God Bless them and their families and God Bless the United States of America!
-- Jerry Cavness
Many people made state soccer a success
I would like to take this opportunity and thank the numerous people and agencies that helped us put on the 5A State Soccer Tournament this past week. It was truly a team effort and couldn't have been the success it was without the contributions of so many.
Let's start with a "Thank You" to the City of Siloam Springs and the Parks and Recreation Department. Don Clark, Jon Boles, and their crews were terrific in all aspects of planning and helping make everything run so smoothly. There were countless comments praising the condition of our fields and playing surfaces as well as the access to the food trucks and the availability of the handicap parking at the Sager Creek complex. The kindness and willingness to answer questions, meet and greet fans, and the effort to maintain the cleanliness of areas were also the sources of the numerous comments.
A "Thank You" to Arthur Hulbert and everyone at the Chamber of Commerce. In the middle of planning and getting ready for the Dogwood Festival and the Siloam Springs High School Scholarship Program, the Chamber found time to put together a wonderful informational flyer we were able to send to more than 25 different Arkansas cities and communities promoting Siloam Springs and its restaurants, hotels and other amenities.
We would like to thank all of the individuals and businesses that had the foresight many years ago to supply the resources it takes to allow the building of such first-class facilities. From our stadium to the dressing rooms, to the press box, to the fieldhouse, visiting fans were very complimentary of everything they saw. There is no doubt in our minds, they left Siloam with the impression of how important our kids must be to this community.
The men and women of the Siloam Springs School District Maintenance and Custodial Departments were also crucial in the success of our tournament experience. We are very appreciative of the work and the overall willingness to help these people demonstrated throughout the long days.
Last but certainly not least, a huge "Thank You" to all the gate workers, coaches, hospitality room folks, audio-visual team, our SROs, and all the others that helped make our tournament the success it was. From the chaos of fans teams and buses arriving on Thursday to the "intense" elimination rounds on Friday, and especially through the unwelcome rain delays Saturday morning, our people constantly demonstrated a willingness to help while at all times exhibiting first-class professionalism in the ways they interacted with our visitors.
We have no doubt the people who traveled all the way up to our part of the state, took home the understanding that the quality of our people is truly the magic of Siloam Springs.
Again, THANK YOU to all!
- Ken Harriman, Siloam Springs athletics