Thursday, April 28, 2005 | 8:14 a.m.
Citizens of Hawthorne, about 300 miles northwest of Las Vegas on U.S. 95, will celebrate the double nickel anniversary of their nationally recognized commemoration of Armed Forces Day beginning May 20.
That day's opening of the community's ordinance museum, which traces the history of the nearby federal ammunition depot, will mark the 55th anniversary of the celebration. Hawthorne is one of only two communities nationwide that regularly has an Armed Forces Day celebration of such a scope. The other is Chattanooga, Tenn.
This year the community, which, according to Jean Peterson, chair of the Mineral County Development Corporation, is "America's Patriotic Home," is hosting the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall as part of the week's commemoration activities.
The memorial, to be located at the Mineral County High School football field, will be open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. daily, May 18-25.
Armed Forces weekend activities in Hawthorne include a chili cook-off beginning at noon on Friday with tasting at 3 p.m., arm wrestling competition at Joe's Tavern at 6 p.m. and stock car races at the Hawthorne Speedway at 7:30 p.m. A fireworks display is scheduled for 9 p.m. at the El Capitan hotel parking lot.
On Saturday, the Hawthorne Elks Lodge has scheduled a breakfast for visitors beginning at 7 a.m., and the 55th annual Armed Forces Day Parade on Sierra Way begins at noon.
A flag-raising ceremony at 2 p.m. at Lady Bird Park will highlight the opening of activities there, including military displays, rock wall climbing, contests, games, and bingo and horseshoe and volleyball tournaments.
According to Peterson, the 30-foot by 60-foot flag, to be raised up a 115-foot pole with a light beacon on top, was the brainchild of Dave Ferguson, a Hawthorne native who, after a career in the electronics industry in Southern California, retired in his hometown and became active in community affairs.
Ferguson's patriotic pride is what inspired community leaders to purchase the 1,800-square-foot flag, which was sponsored at "$17.76 a square foot," by business and citizen contributors, as a community statement that Hawthorne was "America's Patriotic Home," according to Peterson.
Organizations wishing to be a part of Hawthorne's 2005 Patriotic Pride celebration as participants in the annual Armed Forces Day parade can still enter a unit. The deadline for parade entries is 5 p.m., May 8.
Parade categories include horses, marching units, bands, floats, cars and miscellaneous. Interested organizations should call Gary Funk at (775) 945-1503. An entry form can be downloaded by going to the Mineral County Chamber of Commerce Web site (www.mineralcountychamber.com).
In brief
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