Rockwell Park hosts VFW’s Back to School Bash
Published 12:04 am Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Members of the local Civitan chapter give away free school supplies at the Rita Hand Back to School Bash Saturday. The Civitan's group included Mayor Beauford Taylor and Aldermen Chris Cranford and Chuck Bowman.
Kids flock to the Novant Health helicopter after its staged landing. Firefighters were on hand to help the kids explore the helicopter and a nearby firetruck.
ROCKWELL — The fifth annual Rita Hand Back to School Bash brought kids and parents to Rockwell Park Saturday. The event, hosted by Barringer-Holshouser VFW Post 9134 and Auxiliary, handed out some free school supplies and provided a fun opportunity for Rockwell families to celebrate the start of the school year.
The event started in 2017 when the local AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary chapter was looking for a way to bring Rockwell together and give back to the community. Now, five years later, the tradition is continued through partnerships with local leaders and departments of the Town of Rockwell government.
One of those partnerships resulted in a Novant Health helicopter being landed in an empty field in Rockwell Park. The landing was part of the exhibit led by Rockwell’s first responders, which also included a firetruck that kids could explore. After the landing, firefighters helped the kids climb into the helicopter and get a first-hand look.
Free school supplies were given away by a couple groups, including one table set up by the local Civitan chapter with bags filled with school supplies such as markers. Mayor Beauford Taylor, Alderman Chuck Bowman and Alderman Chris Cranford all helped staff the tent along with other Civitan members.
“We didn’t come last year, but there were a bunch of people the year before. We gave away everything we had that year,” said Cranford.
Cranford noted that although the tents selling items outnumbered the amount of tents participating in the giveaway this year, it was still good for the group to be able to support the local VFW Post. Early in the day, he also hoped that this year’s attendance would match the previous years despite the heat.
“They’re not up yet, are they?” asked Cranford about the lower attendance at 11:30 a.m.
Kim Sheeks, a member of the local Civitan chapter, said the kids were sleeping in, having had three days of school. “They’re tired,” she said.
Other attractions at the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., also included bouncy houses, food trucks, vendor tents and a silent auction held to raise money for the VFW Post.
