Monday, May 27, is Fountain City’s time to shine.
It’s the 44th annual Honor Fountain City Day, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fountain City Park.
A schedule of events follows, but come for sure to the 3 p.m. ceremony at the gazebo. That’s when Jamie Rowe will bring the keynote address and Tyler Pavlis will distribute community awards.
Jamie Rowe
Rowe was working on her remarks on Wednesday when we talked. “The theme is ‘Celebrating Our Seniors,’ so I have written some humorous things and some serious things about our seniors,” Rowe said.
“I was planning to start with, ‘Well, Drew Carey got tied up in the Atlanta airport,’ but then I thought people might start wondering if Drew Carey had really planned to attend.”
Jamie Rowe is a worrier, but she’s done a lot for Fountain City for a lot of years. Come and laugh at her jokes, folks.
Coach Bryson Rosser
Bryson Rosser is this year’s Man of the Year. He coached the Central Bobcats to the 2018 5A football state championship – the first time in the 112-year school history that the Bobcats have won the state championship. Read about him here.
Penny Kleinschmidt
Penny Kleinschmidt is this year’s Woman of the Year. A State Farm agent based in Fountain City, Kleinschmidt joined the Lions Club and immediately got involved with promoting community events such as this summer’s Concerts in the Park.
Other honorees are:
- Starbucks, commercial restoration
- David and Lori Hensley, residential restoration
- Angela Hunter, Town Hall chair’s award
- Fountain City Ministry Center, Friend of Fountain City
Be quick, now, because at 3:30 p.m. the Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at the gazebo. This is a change in location from Fountain City Lake. Veterans and active duty soldiers will be recognized, and John Becker of WBIR-TV will give his “Service and Sacrifice” address. Lynn Bennett will sing “America the Beautiful” and “God Bless America” before the East Tennessee Veterans Honor Guard plays “Taps.”
Music in the gazebo will keep things lively all day, starting with Brandywine at 10 a.m. The Chillbillies will play from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and the Tennessee Wind Symphony will play from 1:45 to 2:45.
Free activities include:
- Train rides around the park
- Face painting by Godolphin
- Joyful Twirlers performing at 11 am.
- Tennessee Model-A cars on display
Events are free of charge, but vendors usually line the park with food and cold drinks. Come on out. It’s a chance to see friends, honor our veterans and recognize some outstanding citizens. And best of all, we can see if Jamie Rowe can rival Drew Carey in comedic commentary.
See you there!