Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1138456
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JULY 3-9, 2019 UCW 11 AVERY POWERS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upand- comingweekly.com 910-484-6200. If you live in Fayetteville, chances are you know a soldier. With over 50,000 active-duty personnel, Fort Bragg is the largest military base in the world by population. "Camp Bragg," as it was called from 1918-1922, has been train- ing heroes for more than 100 years, and it shows. e community in and around the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg region is always ready to give honor where honor is due. Rolling under is a national veter- ans organization designed to bring full accountability for prisoners of war and those missing in action of all U.S. wars. Craig Hardy is a veteran and chairman/ past president of Rolling under NC Chapter 1. "e mission of Rolling un- der is to educate the public that there are still missing Americans from all wars, and we try to ensure that our government does not forget that," Hardy said. "We do more to bring them home," he added. "Our second mission is to help and assist veterans and their families in the area." Hardy invites the community to assist veterans alongside him. "Fayetteville unfortunately has a large number of homeless veterans. ere's more that the community could probably do to help (them) and other veterans in our communities, but there's a lot of organizations that are doing just that," said Hardy. Serving U.S. veterans has long been a recognized need in this country. In 1782, George Washington created the Purple Heart, originally called the Badge for Military Merit, to honor those who have been wounded or killed in combat. It is the oldest American military decoration for military merit. Locally, the Sandhills Purple Heart Committee invites the public to join them in thanking Purple Heart recipients, families of deceased Purple Heart recipi- ents, families of those killed in action and Gold Star mothers at the Sandhills Purple Heart Dinner. e Sandhills Purple Heart Dinner is one of the largest functions that Rolling under sponsors — and one of the biggest ways they honor those who have sacrificed for our country. "ose who have (made it home) still need to be thanked for their service, and Rolling under tries to do that with their events," said Hardy, who is also this year's Purple Heart Committee director. Recipients will be escorted by Junior ROTC cadets and announced during the Walk of Honor, in which each recipient walks through a saber salute. eir name, branch, location of service, and the location that they received their Purple Heart is announced. "It's recognizing and acknowledging and honoring them for their service and sacrifice," said Hardy. e event takes place Saturday, Aug. 24, from 5-8 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum, 1960 Coliseum Dr. It is open to the public. Tickets cost $25. Purple Heart recipients receive a free meal and additional tickets for up to two guests. To register and purchase tickets, visit www.sandhillsphdinner.com. Purple Heart veterans to be honored in the community by AVERY POWERS e Sandhills Purple Heart Dinner honors Purple Heart recipients, families of deceased Purple Heart recipients, families of those killed in action and Gold Star mothers. Photo credit: my-flutterbyphotography.com EVENT Summer after summer, Fayetteville After Five provides free concerts in Festival Park. Showstop- ping artists hit the stage every second Friday from May until August, provid- ing the perfect weekend kickoff. It wouldn't be perfect without a few finger-licking snacks, however. Come hungry and let the many food trucks offerings at Festival Park fill you up. Alternative, rock and pop band 120 Minutes and Eagles tribute band On e Border kicked off the summer with every classic from the '70s to the '90s. Rivermist and Kasey Tyndall are coming July 12 and Aug. 9, respectively, to finish off the season with some classic rock and country tunes. Local band Rivermist was formed right here in Fayetteville in 2014, though the musicians have been playing in and around the Fayetteville area for more than 20 years. A classic rock and variety party band, Rivermist is known for bringing excite- ment and energy to any venue, which is one rea- son it has won awards like Up & Coming Weekly's Best of Fayetteville. e band also knows how to cater to its audi- ence. ey've been known to play every artist from Earth, Wind & Fire to Bruno Mars and more. After being booked at different festivals and concert series all over North Carolina and Virginia for the past few years, Rivermist has clearly been busy rockin' the Carolinas (and more). Closing out the summer is country singer Kasey Tyndall. Audiences might recognize her hit debut single "Everything is Texas," which earned recogni- tion by being included on the Wild Country Spotify playlist and the music video hit Top 10 on CMT's 12 Pack Countdown. Tyndall's debut album, "Between Salvation and Survival," has gathered over 1 million streams on Spotify since its release in January 2019. Tyndall traded her plans to study nursing at East Carolina University for the life of a country music star when she won a radio station contest in 2014. e prize was the opportunity to sing "We Were Us" with Keith Ur- ban. Since then, she has only grown in success. "Wrap Around Porch," Tyndall's latest single, was written by Nashville stars Laura Veltz, Josh ompson and Jessie Jo Dillon. "e moment I heard this song, it felt like me," she says on Spo- tify. "Lyrically, it speaks to the life so many of us grew up with — we dream big, but it's the simple things that make us happy." Tyndall has also col- laborated with artists like Ashley McBryde and Lainey Wilson. e gates for Fayetteville After Five open at 5 p.m. e acts begin around 6:30 p.m. and end around 10:30 p.m. Don't forget to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket. Coolers, canopies and out- side food and beverages are not allowed. Service dogs are always welcome. e free concerts are located at Festival Park, 335 Ray Ave. Fayetteville After Five welcomes classic rock and country singers by AVERY POWERS Rivermist performs July 12. Kasey Tyndall performs Aug. 9.