This coming Monday is a federal holiday in honor of Veterans Day. Banks and post offices will be closed for the day. So will the City of IOP, although that should have minimal effect if you're here staying in one of our Isle of Palms luxury rentals. There will be no garbage pickup, and the Rec Center will be closed. Veterans Day itself actually falls on this Sunday, November 11th. There are some interesting events taking place to commemorate this, most of which are quite convenient to the islands near Charleston. More about that in a bit.
Don’t forget: Festival of Lights lights up tonight
First, a quick reminder that tonight is the official kickoff of the Holiday Festival of Lights out on James Island, as I covered in that last blog. At 5:30 this evening, they'll flip the switch on 2018’s installment of this very popular holiday event. Here are some quick stats. The Holiday Festival of Lights has:
- 2 million lights;
- 180,000 back-up lights;
- 750 individual displays;
- It will delight an estimated 200,000 visitors between now and January 1st.
It really is a perfect activity to help put everyone in your Charleston beach house in a festive mood. Plus, it’s a pleasant drive from all our rental homes South Carolina. Here’s more from Live 5 News.
Honoring veterans, living and dead
Veterans Day and Memorial Day seem rather similar to each other. They are set aside to honor those who have sacrificed their time and possibly their lives to help ensure our freedom. As Patriot’s Point recently printed in the paper:
For Your Service,
Your Sacrifice,
Our Freedom,
THANK YOU.
The difference is that Memorial Day is to honor those who lost their lives. Veterans Day honors them as well as living veterans of the armed forces. Veterans Day was originally created as “Armistice Day,” first celebrated in 1919 at the end of World War I – the so-called, “War to End all Wars.” (If only that were the case.)
Fort Moultrie’s Veterans Day events
Just across Breach Inlet from our Isle of Palms luxury rentals is Sullivan’s Island. Sullivan’s is home to historic Fort Moultrie. The fort played a big role in wars from the Revolutionary War all the way through WWII. Basically, Fort Moultrie provided official seacoast defense for the U.S. for 171 years (1776-1947). Fort Moultrie is located at 1214 Middle Street on Sullivan’s Island, just across Breach Inlet from the Isle of Palms. This is the last “fee free” day of the year for the fort. It, along with Fort Sumter and run by the National Park Service.
Following is a press release outlining some of the Veterans Day events happening this weekend:
SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, SC – On Sunday, November 11, 2018 activities will be held on Sullivan’s Island to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the end of World War I. At the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice was signed in Compiegne, France to bring an end to World War I. The annual remembrance of this day was once called Armistice Day and is what we now know as Veterans Day. In 2013, an act of Congress created The United States World War I Centennial Commission to ensure that appropriate commemorations would be held throughout the centennial. Commemoration activities on Sullivan’s Island will include:
- 9:00 am: Reenactors portraying “Doughboys” will be at Fort Moultrie to answer questions about life as a World War I soldier.
- 10:45 am: Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church will sponsor a ceremony in the memorial park across the street from the church. The monument in that park names and honors the two Sullivan’s Islanders who died in “The Great War.” The ceremony will include the laying of a wreath, a short historical program, prayers and the playing of taps.
- 11 am: the bells of Stella Maris and The Church of the Holy Cross will toll as part of the Bells of Peace, an initiative of the World War I Centennial Commission.
- Following the ceremony, reenactors will be at Fort Moultrie to interpret “the war to end all wars.”
All events are free and open to the public. Fort Moultrie is located at 1214 Middle Street, Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. The site is administered by the National Park Service as a unit of Fort Sumter National Monument. Fort Moultrie represents the entire history of static seacoast defense in the United States, from the American Revolution to the end of World War II. The site is open daily from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. It includes a visitor center with museum exhibits and orientation film.
More on the NPS:
Now entering its second century, the National Park Service continues to explore new ways to help visitors connect and find their parks. For more information on park news, events and programs, follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FtSumterNPS andwww.facebook.com/FtMoultrieNPS. Visit the park website at www.nps.gov/fosu or call 843-883-3123. You can also share your park experience with others by posting on social media with the hashtag #FindYourPark. Come find yours today!
Patriots Point takes part, too
Also at 11:00 a.m. Sunday, the museum at Patriots Point will take part in the “Bells of Peace” commemoration. This from the Post & Courier: “On Sunday, the museum will present Bells of Peace to acknowledge 100 years to the minute that the armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed. They will ring a bell 21 times to honor and remember the more than 116,000 Americans who died in World War I, as well as the more than 200,000 wounded. The 21 tolls of the bell symbolize a high honor, based on the 21-gun salute.” So take a moment to thank a veteran for their service. Remember all the brave men and women who have passed before us and helped make our nation free. And remember, when you are looking for a great beach house near Charleston, be sure to call Exclusive Properties. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger