News

LIGHTNING PHOTOS: Area salutes veterans

Army Nurse Corps veteran Dorothy Managan poses with her photo from 1945.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 10, 2014

From ceremonies to discounts, musical salutes to free meals and even free dental care, area businesses and organizations will honor those who served in uniform on Veterans Day on Tuesday. The annual Henderson County Veterans Day program will be held at Forest Lawn at 11 a.m. See below for a link to About.com's 9-page list of freebies.

Carolina Smiles Family Dental will provide a day of free dental care for veterans starting at 7:30 a.m. The service is first come, first served.

From 7:30 to 8, office personnel will determine what kind of care the veteran needs.

"We'll do cleaning, extractions, partial and full denture repair," said office manager Heather Sherman. "It kind of depends on what we have time for. Last year we saw maybe about 20 people. As of right now we're set up to see at least 51. We'd like to do at least $10,000 worth of dentistry."

The office can handle more patients this year because it has added a second dentist. The dentists in the practice are Michael Stohl and Alex Jiamachello.

The dental office started the charity care "just to help people that have done so much for us, for their sacrifice," Sherman said.

Blue Ridge Humane Society Thrift Store will donate 20 percent of its sales to "K9s for Warriors."
Based in Florida, the nonprofit provides service canines to warriors suffering from post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury as a result of military service post 9/11. The goal is to give a new leash on life to rescue dogs and military heroes, empowering warriors to return to civilian life with dignity and independence. Six dogs from the Blue Ridge Humane Society Animal Shelter have been accepted into the K9s for Warriors' program to date.
The Masterworks Theatre in Hendersonville invites the public to celebrate Veterans Day with several local musicians. The nostalgic program "Musical Memories - Songs of WWI and WWII" will be performed at 4 p.m. at Freeburg Pianos, 2314 Asheville Highway, in the Blue Ridge Plaza.
"The idea for the event was birthed last spring when I spent two months caring for my ailing Dad in Minnesota," said Joann Freeburg. "He's a veteran and although I knew he wouldn't be able to attend, I wanted to put together a musical program that would honor his sacrifice as well as bring back good memories."
Musicians will present heart-warming and inspiring music from the WWI and WWII years. The audience will be stirred from the first notes as Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra trumpeter Peter Voisin opens the program with "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Pianist and organist Howard Bakken will accompany vocalists Cherie Barget and David Vandre, who will sing several selections from WWI.

Jazz singer Elise Pratt accompanied by Aaron Coffin will sing a medley of love songs from WWII.
Veterans and their families will be recognized during the singing of the "Armed Forces Salute
For further information, please call 828-697-0110.

During a program at Hendersonville Elementary School Monday, schoolchildren read short histories of the branches of military service and classes sang each branch's song. World War II veterans Dorothy Managan, of the Army Nurse Corps, and B-17 gunner Dudley Brown talked about their time in the war. Music teacher Joann Bryan organized the program.

For a list of freebies and restaurants offering free meals visit Free stuff for veterans