Lowndes County will host a hamburger and hot dog cookout Friday at the courthouse in honor of County Government Day.
Festivities begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. Along with free food, the event offers live entertainment, including performances by Keith and Margie and students at Franklin Elementary Medical Sciences and Wellness Magnet School and door prizes.
Col. Steve Stater of Columbus Air Force Base is the guest speaker for the event, where county employees will be recognized, as will veterans and current service members.
The West Lowndes ROTC will present flags, and presentations will be made to Columbus Air Force Base, the American Legion, National Guard and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
“This is very special. This is the National County Government Employee Appreciation Ceremony. I believe that we may be the only county in the state of Mississippi participating in this,” said Glenn Lautzenhiser, a member of the Lowndes County Government Day committee.
This year, the event not only highlights the work of county employees, but also that of military members, past and present, and their families.
“The purpose is really two-fold,” said Lautzenhiser, who also is chairman of the Columbus-Lowndes Development Link”s Military Affairs Committee. “One, is to say thank you to all the county employees. Many times, we don”t see the people who offer these services to us. … And this year is a little different. We want to say thank you to all our military personnel and their families. So we are recognizing all out county employees with military experience.”
Also, Cook Elementary Fine Arts Magnet School made 25 posters for the event; the patriotic-themed posters will hang in every county office through the month of May.
McKellar Technology”s culinary arts students baked 200 cupcakes for the event, and Wayne Beard, who makes ice cream with the help of a John Deere tractor-turned-ice-cream-churn, has donated 10 gallons of homemade ice cream for County Government Day.
“It”s turned out to be a very big event,” said Lautzenhiser.
The committee expects several hundred people to attend the event.
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