Carmen has the Spirit of 45

August 26 2015

 Living in SWFL is quite the adventure. There is so much to see and do if you know where to look for it. Luckily I know many locals and they know about some great events that happen around town.  Back in my little village, everybody knows what is going on because everything happens in the center of town but here in SWFL everything is so spread out that you just have to ask a local. There does seem to be something for everybody though…which is a good thing.

The people of SWFL are generous in spirit. There are many events designed to help the citizens of SWFL. Other events celebrate some aspect of SWFL culture.  What a diverse community we live in. Recently I went to an event that honored WWII veterans….The Spirit of 45.

This year’s celebration marked the 70^th anniversary of the ending of WWII. Our hostess and Spirit of 45 Lee County Chairperson was Eryka Aptaker. She spends countless hours coordinating this event. This year there were about 350 people in attendance 86 of which were WWII Veterans. Despite being the youngest one there, I had a great time and I felt I was a part of history that I am way tooooo young to know about.

It was held August 9 at the Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa. What a stunning setting for such a great event. SWFL has some great sunsets!!! I think I would like to go back there ad spend a weekend relaxing, sunning, eating drinking and generally enjoying what SWFL is about….but anyway…

The event consisted of a dinner with tribute to our Military Veterans. Guns N Hoses bagpipes performed all the military branches songs and Amazing Grace.  They had ceremonies for our Fallen Soldiers, P. O. W., wreath service and the story of the Poppies…do you know what the red poppy means? It is the internationally recognized symbol of Remembrance. It is synonymous with great loss of life in war. You can learn about story at the Red Poppy Story (http://www.greatwar.co.uk/article/remembrance-poppy.htm)

They also had dancers and theater performances…..all to honor our WWII vets. It was truly impressive. There was an aerial salute and some WWII veterans shared their stores with us. Hearing about their experiences was very moving.

I did get to meet one WWII veteran who was all decked out in sparkles…. Gazo Nemmeth. I also met Angelo with the Lee County Sherriff’s office… he took a real liking to me….and Alex our bartender was a real cutie!!! I shared the evening with my new found friends Karyn, Debbie, Kim, Marsha and Earl….I was so glad to be able to share such a great event with them.

If you have a chance to attend next year I would go and experience this wonderful tribute to our WWII veterans.

I created this little video of the event and I hope you like my pictures. I did it in black and white as from what I was told films from back then tended to be in black and white. 

Carmen

Spirit of 45 - Kizoa Video Maker