FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Booch DeMarchi, Lee County Public Resources
(941) 335-2481

LEE VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION INCLUDES FULL LINE-UP OF EVENTS

FORT MYERS, Fla. (November 8, 2000) – Lee County has joined forces with 12 other public- and private-sector organizations to produce the countywide Second Annual Veterans Day Celebration, "Victory Through Veterans," which will be held from 4 p.m. through 9 p.m. this Saturday (Nov. 11) in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. The scheduled events on both sides of the Caloosahatchee River are:

4:00 p.m. – Veterans Day Parade on Cape Coral Parkway (near the Del Prado Boulevard intersection)

5:30 p.m. – Rededication Ceremony of the Veterans Memorial (at Cape Coral Parkway/Del Prado itersection)

6:00 p.m. – 5K Road Race across the Midpoint Memorial Bridge (starting on Fort Myers side)

8:00 p.m. – Patriotic Concert by the Southwest Florida Symphony and Chorus at the Alliance of the Arts (by the Fort Myers side of the Midpoint Memorial Bridge; admission is $5)

The Grand Marshals of the Veterans Day Parade will be:

Major General James L. Dozier, United States Army (retired), a Lee County resident, West Point graduate and 35-year Army veteran who gained international attention after being kidnapped by Red Brigade terrorists in Italy in December 1981 and held captive for 42 days; and

Dennis Duffala, who retired from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in 1999 with the rank of Colonel after a 23-year career. Duffala is a former Corporal in the United States Marine Corps who lost his legs in a land mine explosion in Vietnam in 1967.

The Veterans Memorial rededication includes a $68,000 beautification of the memorial and surrounding medians and grounds, including a lighted fountain at the memorial’s base. GreensCape volunteers donated countless hours to this project.

To learn more about the event and ceremonies, visit its web site at www.lee-county.com/Veterans/default.htm. The Midpoint Memorial Bridge will be closed to motorists from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the 5K race. The other bridges across the river will remain open.

The sponsoring organizations are Lee County Government, the Lee County School District, the cities and police departments of Cape Coral and Fort Myers, the Lee County Joint Veterans Association, the Veterans Midpoint Memorial Charitable Trust, Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce, Symphony of Southwest Florida, YMCA of Lee County, Fort Myers Track Club, and GreensCape.