BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Those who serve and have served our country are being recognized this week during the Northwest Arkansas Honor Festival. This week-long honor fest has been created to show appreciation for veterans, current military members, their families and first responders.
Billy Goldston, chief officer at Camp Alliance Incorporated, a local veteran nonprofit, spoke about the festival and it's purpose.
“Honor Fest is a product we put together that bring the community together with our veteran and first responder community so that they can recognize the service that happens every day within our community,” Goldston said.
Organizers kicked off the inaugural festival Monday, July 10 with a community service gardening project at Memorial Park in Bentonville. Goldston says as a retired army veteran, it’s great to have people come out, and thank them for their service.
“It's a very sobering event for me to know that while we were forward deployed overseas protecting this nation, that we have so many people back here that actually believe in us and believe in what we did and what those young men and women out there are doing right now,” he said.
Pete Rathmell, president of the Northwest Arkansas Veterans’ Coalition and the past commander of the Submarines Veterans’ Group, said his group heard the Navy memorial in Bentonville needed some sprucing up.
“Saturday morning, we came out here we sanded the rust off and then repainted the anchor, with Rustoleum. So hopefully it will last for a while. And then we brought six little American flags, and we put them around the memorial here,” said Pete Rathmell.
Rathmell would like to see more memorials like the one at Memorial Park. He says it makes him feel good to see memorials dedicated to veterans like himself.
“I've gotten really involved with veterans’ organizations over the last 10 years. So, when I see memorials like this, I'm very proud that I was able to serve my country,” he said.
Other events during this week’s Honor Fest include a networking expo, an elevator pitch contest, and 5K. Teams will also compete to see who can pull a plane the fastest on Friday (July 14).
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