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     As the country’s First Sanctuary Community For Soldiers, Fayetteville/Cumberland County is dedicating the entire month of May to honor soldiers, vets and their families who have put it all on the line to defend our country.
     {mosimage}During a reception to open the United We Stand Art Exhibition on April 24, Mayor Tony Chavonne officially unveiled 31 Days of Glory, a new series of events for anyone who wants to experience the area’s military heritage and honor our brethren in the services — past and present.
     The event officially kicked-off at the announcement during the opening of the United We Stand exhibit, and it will encompass a lot of annual events, as well as events planned specifically for this month-long celebration of our military.
     On May 1, the opening of the Fort Bragg fair will ignite the frenzy of activities planned, with the culminating events occurring during Glory Days, the annual Memorial Celebration hosted by the Fayetteville Downtown Alliance. In between, you’ll find a lot of other really cool events that you are not going to want to miss out on.
     Through the efforts of more than 10 community organizations, activities are planned for every single day of the month. Venues around the county will host events, ranging from Chester Biggs discussing his years in China as a POW to family-friendly hands-on activities like creating Blue Star Banners for wartime military families to re-enactments of different time periods and demonstrations using Civil War ammunition. A number of concerts, author readings, parades and art exhibits will also be staged throughout the area.
     “While everyone else celebrates Memorial Day, we devote an entire month to thank the military, vets and their families,” said Chavonne. “We invite the world to do what we do every day — show our enthusiastic appreciation, respect and support for those who have and are putting it all on the line for us.”
     Intended to be an annual event, 31 Days of Glory is the result of the collective vision of the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, USO North Carolina, Fascinate-U Children’s Museum, Museum of the Cape Fear, Fayetteville Downtown Alliance, Fayetteville Symphony, Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center, Fayetteville Museum of Art, Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fayetteville Independent Light Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial, The Arts Council, Fort Bragg MWR, Fayetteville Area Transportation and Local History Museum, Cape Fear Botanical Gardens and J.E.B. Stuart Chapter 483.