The concept of “Service Above Self” was on full display during the Sixth Annual Georgetown TX Field of Honor® held in San Gabriel Park from November 5-12. It was an on-going demonstration of resilience and collaboration, with heavy doses of perseverance and grit, that made this year’s Field of Honor® one of the most memorable.
For starters, Mother Nature was omnipresent, particularly on the day our cadre of 60+ volunteers showed up to post the nearly 1600 flags on the field. Within a couple hours however, we were strongly advised by our contacts at the City of Georgetown that impending weather patterns in the area did not bode well. They recommended we take down all of the flags, which we did only to re-post them the following morning in advance of our kick-off event sponsored by Sertoma.
Our Opening Ceremonies on Sunday was a blessing, as bright skies and balmy temperatures graced the field and hovered over our military and first responder exhibits and demonstrations, our aerial flyovers and the Parade of Colors, and punctuated by civil war-era cannon fire. But the blessing was short-lived.
Mother Nature was not determined to make her presence known during the week with (badly needed) intermittent torrents of rain. While the tarpaulin of the massive 40x135 tent held firm, our flag sales team area became a pond and volunteers chose to work barefoot! Even as patrons continued to come to the field and tippy-toe across the puddles and the streams, our volunteers remained steadfast – selling flags, ushering patrons to view their posted flags and give guided tours – umbrellas and all – of the various commemorative exhibits.
On the field were teams of firefighters who had served during the 9/11 tragedy in New York, and travelled to Georgetown to give guided, highly emotional tours of the 9/11 “Never Forget” Mobile Exhibit sponsored by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. During the week, often in the pouring rain, we welcomed nearly 1100 middle school students on field trips – learning about the developmental history of the US Flag as well as the 9/11 event which transpired long before they were born.
Thinking that Lake Georgetown had been temporarily relocated to the Field of Honor®, our ever-resourceful volunteers devised a plan to spread mulch over the critical areas to soak up as much of the puddling as possible. With the Friday night BBQ – complete with live band, silent auction, and nearly 200 registered guests – threatened by the water, the team drove a convoy of pickup trucks to snag countless additional bags of mulch. This herculean effort helped soak up the moisture from the floor of the tent such that the celebration festivities could get underway and enjoyed by all.
It is worth mentioning that our team of volunteers was an extraordinary mix of Rotarians and non-Rotarian members of the community. All told, nearly 20 Affiliate member organizations actively participated and will share in the proceeds from flag sales, and our collective group of 55 Sponsors witnessed, firsthand, the resilience of our team to overcome every obstacle thrown their way.