HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN Monday, April 8, 2019 VOL. 100 | NO. 98 | $1.00 YOUR HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER SINCE 1919 An Edition Of The Sun D-DAY: 75TH ANNIVERSARY An emotional leap KIM LEATHERMAN/STAFF From left; Highlands Little Theatre’s Camryn Derr, Harley Wade, Corin Smith, Haley Waltman, Emma Rowe and Katelyn Jones belt out a 1950s hit. Soda Festival provides COURTESY PHOTO/CHUCK OLIVER a bubbly ABOVE: Chuck Oliver is a Veterans Parachute Battalion trustee. He is also a grad- uate of Avon Park High School as well as a graduate from West Point Academy. LEFT: Members of the Veterans Parachute Battalion train for a commemorative good time jump into Normandy, France. By KIM LEATHERMAN STAFF WRITER SEBRING — A nice-sized crowd of tourists and residents alike headed for the Downtown Circle on Saturday for the second annual Sebring Soda Festival. From soda to food to music, the fi zzy fest was a treat for the senses. Dog Drool, Kitty Piddle, Alien Snot, Unicorn Yak and even cappuccino fl a- COURTESY PHOTO vored sodas were offered by the sample or by the bottle. Whether general soda Over 150,000 American, British and Cana- or craft sodas, every diet was taken into dian troops landed on fi ve beaches along a consideration. There were diet, caffeine 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortifi ed coast of France’s Normandy region. free and gluten free pops — all made with cane sugar. A musical stage had a plethora of talent keeping things lively with hits from dif- ferent eras. The Highlands Little Theatre got involved with 50s oldies this year. A group of its young ladies sang about boyfriends coming back and the ensuing trouble. Tracy Schuknecht and Laura Wade of the HLT coached the girls with their songs and choreography in their 50s period dresses. Wade was later joined on stage with FESTIVAL | 2A Veterans Parachute Battalion prepares for commemorative jump By JIM ERVIN “On June 4 we’re going to do a prac- CORRESPONDENT tice jump at Oxford Airfi eld in the U.K. We’ll jump with World War II uniforms, EPHYRHILLS — The Veterans helmets, jump boots, everything,” Parachute Battalion (VPB) is a he said. “The only exception will be MARC VALERO/STAFF Znonprofi t organization dedicated parachutes. We’ll have to jump with to preserving the history of American modern parachutes. We’re jumping out A report shows the house at 18 E. Pine St., Avon paratroopers. They are currently un- of C-47s, the old World War II troop Park, is suspected of containing asbestos in its dergoing preparations and training for CHUCK OLIVER/COURTESY PHOTO construction materials. At its meeting today, the carrier planes. Avon Park City Council will discuss the prop- a commemorative jump into Norman- Members of the Veterans Parachute “On June 5 we’re going to travel the erty/structure, which is in the process of being dy, France. Battalion will jump out of C-47s, the old same route the British 6th Airborne donated to the city. As part of those preparations the World War II troop carrier planes. Division took,” Oliver said. “We’re group recently conducted a training going to head out over England and session at SkyDive City last month. training (and) learning how to rig our parachute into Drop Zone November, “We (VPB) came together around parachutes. We never had to do that in which is Ranville, France.” AP to review April of 2017 to prepare for this 75th the Army. We had Master Riggers for Oliver related that the jump will take anniversary of D-Day,” said Chuck that. place June 5, which was the original Oliver, one of the VPB trustees. Oliver “We have to learn how to rig it planned date of the D-Day invasion. asbestos issue is also a graduate of Avon Park High because we have to do that in the U.K. However, due to weather related School as well as a graduate from West And I’m a jumpmaster so I had to go issues, the actual invasion took place Point Academy. through some jumpmaster refreshers the next day, June 6, 1944. “One of our requirements is we’ve as well,” Oliver said. “The key thing is, “Our Normandy drop will be June with donation had to have a parachute jump within the parachutes we’re using today, we 5, as the French airspace is closed on By MARC VALERO 180 days of the operation, and so didn’t use when most of us were in the June 6 for VIP traffi c. This is why our STAFF WRITER that is what we were doing up in Army. They didn’t have them. So we jump is a commemoration of the 75th Zephyrhills” Oliver said. “We were had to understand how those things AVON PARK — The house on the going through Airborne refresher work. JUMP | 2A property at 18 E. Pine Street that has been offered to the city as a gift was construct- ed with materials containing asbestos. City Manager David Flowers said the asbestos issues are minor and only require precautionary measures if demo- lition is done. “I am not aware of any proposed use for the building at this time,” he said. “The city council will discuss their ideas on accepting it as a donation or not, and from there I will proceed with their direction.” The property/structure is on tonight’s City Council agenda. A demolition asbestos survey of the structure, prepared by O2 Consulting, Inc. Wesley Chapel, states a preliminary site inspection determined the plaster system, COURTESY PHOTO/ROBERT F. SARGENT COURTESY PHOTO COUNCIL | 4A U.S. troops landing during the Invasion of Normandy. Operation Overlord, the code name for the Battle of Normandy. Classifieds ......................B3-7 Local Sports ....................A7-8 Viewpoints ....................... A5 Good morning To Comics .................News Wire Lottery ................Sports Wire Weather ...............Sports Wire Lois Cinklin Highlands Health................ B1 facebook.com/ twitter.com/ Thanks for reading! newssun.com newssun TheNewsSun A2 | HIGHLANDS NEWS-SUN | April 8, 2019 www.highlandsnewssun.com owners while others JUMP FESTIVAL rode in strollers. FROM PAGE 1A FROM PAGE 1A The Violett family just moved to Sebring a anniversary of D-Day,” Gary Johnson and his few weeks ago from the Oliver explained. saxophone for a duet. Tampa area and brought To commemorate Crowds sat along the their extended family, “Operation Overlord,” fl ag pole, on benches or the Rivers and two Shi which was the codename copped a squat in the for the D-Day invasion, shaded grassy area to Tzus to the festival. more than 300 veterans listen to the music. “We just moved here will parachute into “The organizers asked and we love this place,” Normandy. The jump is to us to join in the Soda Jason Violett said. commemorate the sacri- Fest,” Wade said. “Many “There is a sense of fi ces of those who willingly of our younger girls are community here. There’s risked their lives to ensure doing Momma Mia!, so always something to freedom in Europe. we were a little short. do.” The Battle of Normandy We fi lled in spots with Ameila Rivers was lasted from June 1944 to adults though. This is with them and brought August 1944. According our time here and it is a her baby Bethel Rivers to www.history.com, it lot of fun.” and son Jace Rivers. resulted in the Allied lib- All around the circle CHUCK OLIVER/COURTESY PHOTO eration of Western Europe and along the spoke “My husband is from Nazi Germany’s The Veterans Parachute Battalion, a nonprofi t organization dedicated to preserving the history streets were all kinds of deployed right now,” control. Over 150,000 of American paratroopers, are currently undergoing preparations and training for a commemora- vendors and a kid sec- she said. “It’s nice being American, British and tive jump into Normandy, France. tion. Handmade Jewelry, here.” Canadian troops landed A car show had World War II was (when 504th volunteered. this item, with a picture, T-shirts, boutique cloth- on fi ve beaches along ing, craft beer vendors, a hippy’s delight, a the 82nd) fi rst became “They took 26 of them, was parachuted into this a 50-mile stretch of the antiques, arts and more an airborne division. The 22 died in the operation. drop zone, on this day, by Volkswagen decorated heavily fortifi ed coast of were just some of the 82nd, as well as the 101st, It was tough. So what we with colorful designs, a France’s Normandy region. this paratrooper. So it will shopping. There was no we can’t forget the 101st, want to do is we want hot rod, a dune buggy The invasion was one of be suitable for framing. shortage or diversity of which was Airbourne back people, beyond D-Day, and some massive the largest amphibious And that’s a good way for foods to dive into after in World War II. to recognize the contri- convertibles were on military assaults in history. them to honor their own dancing and walking up “All airborne paratroop- butions of the American display. By late August 1944, all past,” Oliver said. an appetite. ers, especially during paratrooper,” he said. of northern France had It’s all part of preserving Civic groups like 4-H Saturday was the main D-Day, had some partic- “We’re a 501(c)(3), and been liberated, and by the past and insuring the and church groups, pro- taste-testing for the ular challenges,” he said. so we’re trying to raise the following spring the future.