News from November 3, 2005 issue

Marion Guardsmen activiated
Local National Guard soldiers will be deployed to active duty beginning Saturday.
Company B, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor was on drill last weekend and received its active duty orders. The unit will be leaving this weekend and spend two weeks at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center at Greenville before returning home Nov. 19. The soldiers will have a brief time at home with their families before leaving on Nov. 27 for Camp Shelby, Miss.

Guardsmen from the Marion unit will be deploying with an infantry brigade from Minnesota. The Marion Guard will spend about 90 days at Camp Shelby for training before leaving on its mission, according to Lt. Col. Mike Farley, the battalion commander. Units from Marion and Benton, both under Lt. Col. Farley's command, will be activated this weekend. A Hopkinsville motor unit in the same command is already in Iraq.

The unit is deploying in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It is not known when or where exactly the troops will be sent, but it will have some type of direct link to the war with Iraq where U.S forces continue fighting an insurgency.

This is the second time the unit has been deployed since the turn of the century. In January of 2002, local Guardsmen were called to duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit was split in two and stationed at locations in Germany on force protection orders.

Some local individuals with knowledge of the military say the National Guard is undergoing major changes and the local battalion may eventually be changed to a military police (MP) unit. It currently operates tanks, but the upcoming mission is more likely to involve something similar to its last one. There is little use for heavy armor at this stage in the Iraqi War.
A community sendoff for the troops is being organized for Sunday, Nov. 27.


Holiday parade big event Dec. 10;
Living Tree won't be same in '05
It's time to start thinking about Christmas.

The Crittenden County Chamber of Commerce and the Marion Tourism Commission's plans for community holiday happenings are taking shape. Nearly all Christmas activities ­ ranging from the annual program at Fohs Hall to pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Claus are planned for the second weekend in December.

The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored parade, themed "Dickens on Main," will be based on Charles Dickens characters and decor. It will be held Dec. 10, and will be joined by a couple of new events to bring the Christmas spirit to downtown. The City of Marion is also planning an open house at its new city hall building on the evening of Dec. 10.

The Saturday night parade will begin at 7. There will be a host of other related activities leading up to the parade, creating a festive atmosphere throughout town most of the late evening. This is the third consecutive year that the Chamber of Commerce has decided to hold an evening Christmas parade rather than one during the middle of the day as was once the routine.

Tourism director Michele Edwards said the official lighting of the courthouse and lawn decorations will begin at 4 p.m., Dec. 10, followed by downtown Christmas caroling. church groups or individuals who want to participate in caroling should call Mike Crabtree at 965-4449. On the same day there will judging of a home and business decorating contest, Lions Club luncheon and live nativity scene on the courthouse lawn.

Downtown businesses will be encouraged to be open late Saturday and groups will be handing out seasonal treats such as wassail or Christmas cookies along city streets.

The annual Christmas program at Fohs Hall, which was designed to unite church choirs from across Crittenden County, will be presented Dec. 9 and Dec. 11 at the historic community building on North Walker Street. In that past, this event has been known as the Living Christmas Tree; however, after nearly 20 years of Tree events, the program has been markedly changed.
This year's director, Jason Dunbar, says the production will be more of a pageant, blending Christmas music and drama.

The theme is a "Smokey Mountain Christmas Story," and is being performed by a cast of about 30 singers, said Dunbar, minister of music and worship at Marion Baptist Church. The show is a mixture of bluegrass and country music with about 10 songs intermingled throughout the pageant.

Dunbar, originally from Dawson Springs, is a graduate of Campbellsville University.

Exact times for all of the events going on downtown on Dec. 10 are still being finalized, but groups who would like to participate in any way should contact Edwards at 965-5015. Parade information should be directed to Terry Ford at 965-2239.

More specifics for the house and business decorating contest will be available in the coming weeks.