SUN CITY – In Fred Leznek’s nine years in Sun City, he cannot seem to remember a single time where veterans, as a whole, were celebrated for their service. He vows to change that.
At 2 p.m. on Nov. 10 in the Drendel Ballroom, about 250 veterans and guests will gather to honor those who have served in three wars of our nation’s recent history – World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Vietnam War – as Sun City gives a “Salute to Veterans.”
“We just want to pay tribute to those who so bravely fought for our country overseas,” Leznek said, adding the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan most likely won’t be represented because “those soldiers would just be too young to live here.”
While tickets are no longer available for the event – it was first come, first serve, according to Leznek – he said the room has reached capacity, meaning additional tickets wouldn’t have been issued.
“We reached the goal. Whoever signed up within the 250 limit, that was it,” he said. “We have no idea who they are or who is coming. All we know is that they served in some capacity.”
For those in attendance, the celebration will include a speech by Leznek, with added visuals, and slated performances from Prairie Voices, the Sun Tones, and Ray Thomas, a winner of the Sun City Idol competition.
A reception will follow, with coffee and cake available for those in attendance.
While Leznek adopted the event, he credits Thomas, Dennis Quinn, and the assistance of Special Events Coordinator Renee Swanson for developing it.
As he is excited for the first annual celebration, Leznek doesn’t see a strong retention for a similar program next year.
“I would hope we could have something like this. I mean, it would be very nice if we had something like this every year, but I don’t know if it’s something we can do every year. It may just end up being a one-shot deal,” he said.
1 Comment
I am very proud of all my parents (Fred and Eileen Leznek) do for our community.