In the town I grew up in, there is a yearly event that everyone looks forward to and this week marks the 129th Soldiers Reunion Week. The Soldiers Reunion is (credited as) the longest-running patriotic celebration in the United States not based on an official holiday. The tradition began in the county seat town (Newton, NC in Catawba County) on July 4, 1889, when Civil War veterans answered a statewide call for recognition of their wartime service and to register for pensions. The gathering, then on Court Square, led to annual veterans’ reunions, starting the popular patriotic event then called Old Soldiers Reunion. The Catawba County Museum of History – which is located in the downtown 1924 courthouse – displays a patriotic exhibit of historic military displays all week and is free to the public. Events around town include a Classic Car Show on Courthouse Square on Sunday, outdoor concerts with street dances on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, a ‘patriotic’ baby parade, and a “Pet Mania” dog show. Then on Thursday, Reunion Day, downtown surrounding the 1924 circa courthouse, craft vendors, artists, craftsmen and food trucks line up around the square. A memorial service is held at 10 a.m. honoring veterans & members of patriotic organizations in the county who have died during the past year is followed by a Jazz concert and a fish fry at the American Legion for the counties veterans….then the fun begins! 4:00 p.m. marks the start of the mile-long parade around town, which gets bigger every year (last time I went it was over an hour and a half long). 8,000 – 10,000 people show up for the parade and if that wasn’t enough, afterward, there’s a seniors dance and more music. The week is finished with the (29th annual) Southern Biscuit Soldiers Reunion … Keep Reading! →