The IDEA group would like to thank all of its members and volunteers who made this year’s Veterans Parade a success. Despite a cold and windy atmosphere, we had more than 65 entries in the parade to honor our Veterans.
We would like to thank Terrie Whitehurst member of IDEA and mother of Veterans, her son Jake and daughter-in-law Thelma. She graciously allowed us access and helped us prepare a warm space for the Veterans and their families to meet before during and after the parade at her new event venue on Front Street. Beth Davis is always a wealth of charm and hospitality and she gives both to the IDEA Group freely in all of our endeavors as a partner and avid supporter of our community. If you did not get to see her in her wartime attire and see her in action you missed out! Sidney Whitehurst, Jr. allowed us to use his flatbed for the performers and announcer to perform audibly and on high for the attendees of the parade. The Iuka Pentecostal Church, under the leadership of Brother Balentine, showed an outpouring of volunteer and community spirit and attended to our sound needs, as they do any of our needs at any of our volunteer events. As always, a special thanks to Nate Clark for announcing the parade with a wonderful balance of reverence and humor. The Burnsville Choir led by Bethany Cheaves and Iuka Choir led by Tara Castille did a harmonious job of performing patriotic tunes for onlookers. Audrey Williams opened our parade with an a capella rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner that brought tears to this girl’s eyes as she watched the giant American flag waving in the breeze while it hung from the Triple D’s Tree Service crane in the background.
The parade route and its’ attendees were organized by Anne Marie Brown and the dedicated members of the line organizational team which included volunteers Courtney Stuart, Chief of Police Randy Stringer, Jeff Lyles, Gail Lyles, and Dustin Norman. Glen White and Hollie Bishop attended to all the IDEA volunteers’ needs at the Holiday Market during the event. Special thanks to Shana Hollon for organizing our vendors for the market and I am so looking forward to Spring Market in 2023. The City of Iuka employees have done a wonderful job of placing our Veteran Banners downtown. If you have not walked Front Street and taken time to honor those represented please do so as soon as you can. These will remain up for the entire month of November and we look forward to displaying these and more again next year!
To experience the volunteer/civic spirit and servant’s heart that is represented by the IDEA Group and its partners for our quaint city of Iuka, Mississippi is always a humbling experience. Their grace and duty to our community are a wonder to behold. With the team effort of Shanna Hollon, Deb Daniels, Lori Walstrom, Sherry White, and Susan Thompson I feel as if there is nothing that we can’t accomplish to bring a unique small-town vibe to our beautiful community. Thank you for all you do daily for your families, community, and the growth of our hometown.
Sara Cooley-Norman