Families in the Tar Heel State gathered on June 3 in the state’s High Country for an event aimed to entertain families of the area.
The inaugural Family Fun Day event, hosted by Boone, N.C.’s VFW Post 7031, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, featured live music, arts and crafts, and other children’s activities free of charge. While the event was opened to the public, Family Fun Day was held with veterans and their families in mind.
Past-VFW Post 7031 Commander Chuck Wright, who was the Post’s commander leading up to the event, said that he and other organizers believe Family Fun Day was a success. Wright added that 91 registered veterans attended with their families.
“It was an outstanding event, and we are appreciative of all the veterans who showed up with their families,” said Wright, a Marine of the Vietnam War. “We were even able to sign up several new members to the Post and Auxiliary.”
Wright, who served with the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam, said that the event went so well that there are plans to hold another Family Fun Day in the future.
“This event was the first of its kind here in northwestern North Carolina,” said Wright, who served three tours from 1965 to 1971. “Representatives from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation have said they would like to participate in a future event.”
Wright, who medically retired from the Marine Corps in 1972, said the event would not have happened without the work of VFW Post 7031 Auxiliary member Tammy Dyson, who is a fellow of the Tennessee Elizabeth Dole Foundation. Dyson, along with the Post 7031 Auxiliary, was a pivotal part of the event and its success, according to Wright.
“It is important for us to keep VFW’s mission at the forefront,” Wright said. “And we have to be able to show that to our community.”