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Monday, April 25, 2022

Plan to Spend Memorial Day in Albemarle May 20, 1922

Lay Your Plans to be in Albemarle May 20th. . . On That Day the American Legion Will Stage Biggest Celebration in History of the County

By L.L. Cranford, Legionnaire

Company, Atten—shun!

Right Dress!

Call off!

Squads right! Forward—MARCH!

E-er-rum, err-um!

No reader, we are not suffering from dementia, or any other form of insanity, neither is the memory of our army days to pleasant that we love to cogitate upon the foregoing commands. We were just trying to give you an idea of the way the biggest parade and celebration in the history of Stanly County will begin on May 20th, Memorial Day, when the American Legion will wind up its service campaign with a rally and celebration which is expected to ring some 10,000 visitors to Albemarle.

For some months past the Walter B. Hill Post of the American Legion has been considering plans for this occasion, and they are now rapidly being gotten in shape for the big day. Committees have been appointed and each Legionnaire has taken a solemn vow to see to it, so far as he is concerned, that May 20th will outrank anything in the way of celebrations that has ever been pulled off before.

The program is rapidly being whipped into shape, and will prove for a day chock full of entertainment and pleasure for every one of the many thousand visitors who will be here. There will not be a dull moment in the entire day, but something to hold the interest of the crowd at all hours.

A beautiful ceremony of the day will e the decoration of a shoulder’s grave in Fairview cemetery, this one being symbolical of all the soldier dead from Stanly County. Appropriate exercises will e conducted, military honors granted the deceased, a wreath of flowers placed upon his grave as a tribute to the memory of all those who laid down their lives that democracy might live, and a recitation will be given by a local girl. This is expected to ring out hundreds of people, and all are invited to bring flowers to place upon the grave.

In the parade which will start at 9 o’clock from the Graded School, every ex-service man is expected to join. Be he a veteran of the World War, Confederate veteran, Spanish-American veteran, or veteran of any other war, if he has at any time in his life worn the uniform of his country, he is urgently requested to come out in uniform and help to make the parade a success.

There will be a speech by some Legion speaker, probably one of the National Committeemen, and following this, a baseball game. Then after a lapse of a new minutes the biggest dinner ever spread in the city will be laid at the mercy of the ex-service men. And, by the way, every woman in the county is urged to pack a basket for that dinner, for it will be needed. Just remember how glad you would have been in those dark days before the armistice if you could have given your boy a real home feed? You’d have thought you were getting off lightly, would you not? Well, imagine that your boy is now fighting in some lousy trench in mud up to his ears, with a scant supply of hard tack to satisfy the cravings of his stomach, and then fix your basket accordingly.

An effort is being made to secure an entire company of the State national guard for the day, and if this can be arranged, as it now appears it will be, this will prove the magnet that will draw many people to the city on May 20th. Competitive drill will be held some time during the day, there will e a field meet, foot races, Jumping, throwing, etc., and two baseball games will round out the day, while at night there will be one of the best wrestling and boxing contests that has ever been staged in Albemarle.

Lay your plans now to be here on May 20th. It comes on Saturday, you need the rest, and the rest of your family will want to come along with you. Tell your friends about it; boost the day when talking to your neighbors, and come to Albemarle filled with he same spirit of patriotism and love of country that made you want to kick the socks off the whole German empire in the days of 1917-’18. Bring your dinner, and put in enough for one homme—

Company, halt!

Who’s that talking ranks?

Private Cranford, sir.

Ten days in the brig on two-thirds pay. Don’t let it happen any more.

Very good, sir.

Forward, March! E-er-rum!

From the front page of the Stanly News-Herald, Albemarle, N.C., Tuesday, April 25, 1922

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