Currahee Military Weekend Itinerary

Pull out your American flags and your red, white and blue and let’s celebrate our Camp Toccoa Veterans!

Start by attending the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce Community BBQ lunch with the Veterans on Friday at the First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. After that, wander over to the Train Depot for the Veteran’s book signing and autograph session. Then put on your 40’s outfits and head to the Airport’s old LeTourneau Hanger for the USO Hangar Dance.

But don’t stay up too late - because you will need to wake up early to run or walk the Currahee Challenge – that’s 3 miles up and 3 miles down. Hurry home to shower and then head downtown, get your free American flag and watch the Parachute Team jump at the start the Veteran’s parade. Then attend the Opening Ceremonies and Purple Heart Ceremony for Jonathan Merck.

By then, you will be really hungry so have a nice big lunch downtown and get your energy back up to tour the Currahee Military Museum, the Memorabilia Show on Doyle and the Re-enactor Camp site on the Courthouse Lawn. There will be weapons demonstrations on the hour, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm.

After that, head out to the Airport for a once in a lifetime chance to purchase a ride in one of the Vintage WWII aircraft or the Huey Helicopter. See the Parachute Jump Team jump at 2pm. Walk through static displays of vintage planes. Let you kids climb the Army Rock Wall.

Then go home to get your dress clothes on and get over to the Georgia Baptist Conference Center for a nice Banquet Dinner and Auction and hear speaker, Actor James Madio.

Rise early again on Sunday morning for the Remembrance Service at 8:30am at the Camp Toccoa Memorial - given by Pastor Scott Borderud. William Tucker will blow Taps and the re-enactors will perform a 21 gun salute. We will all meet downtown at BJ’s for a farewell breakfast following the service.

Come see why Toccoa-Stephens County is the MOST American Patriotic Community. For a complete schedule of weekend events and a list of the Camp Toccoa veterans attending visit the Chamber’s website at toccoagachamber.com.

We hope you enjoy the Currahee Military Reunion Weekend Celebration as much as we do! Currahee!

Downtown Toccoa Celebrates Currahee Military Weekend

Downtown Toccoa Celebrates Currahee Military Weekend

Toccoa, GA – Downtown Toccoa is getting ready to welcome returning WWII veterans, their families and friends, and hundreds of visitors during the Currahee Military Weekend, September 30 – Oct. 2, 2011. The mission of this weekend celebration is to honor the courageous men who trained at Camp Toccoa, to teach WWII history to our young people, and to celebrate our military’s commitment to America.

Many of the weekend events will be held in the downtown. Friday, September 30, registration will begin at the Currahee Military Museum at 10:00 a.m. in the Mitchell Allen Memorial Hall. Then from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. there will be a book signing with WWII veteran authors at the same venue.

Saturday, October 1, the day will begin with the Special Forces Association Parachute Jump Team who will jump over Boyd Field at the start of the Veteran’s Parade around 10:50. They will jump with their spectacular signature 20ft by 30ft American Flag. The Veterans parade will start at 11:00 a.m. and will begin on Doyle St and Pond St, go down Doyle St, turn on Sage St, and then go down Foreacre St to the Historic Depot. This year’s parade will be the biggest yet with the returning veterans, several large military vehicles, the SC High School band, as well as the SCHS JR ROTC and CAP.

The opening ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the Blue Ridge Rifles team from North Georgia College and State University. The special speaker for the event will be, Julie Schugars, daughter of Joe Beryle. During the weekend there is an exhibit from Russia made possible by Russia, the United States and the Joe Beyrle family that will be displayed in the Currahee Military Museum. Beyrle’s story of being captured by the Germans, escaping and then joining up and fighting with the Russians against Germany is told at the exhibit.

Throughout the day, visit the living history displays on the courthouse lawn and see what the living conditions were for the soldiers during the war. There will also be a Memorabilia Show and Sale on Doyle Street. The show will have memorabilia from WWI, WWII, and other foreign wars.

Downtown businesses and restaurants will be open during the weekend.

“We want to welcome all of our guests and visitors to this special weekend. We never want to forget the sacrifices that were made for us, not only by these brave men during WWII, but also by the men and women in uniform today,” said Sharon Crosby of Main Street Toccoa.

WORLD WAR II VETERANS TO BE HONORED DURING CURRAHEE MILITARY WEEKEND

WORLD WAR II VETERANS TO BE HONORED DURING CURRAHEE MILITARY WEEKEND

The ninth annual Currahee Military Weekend is only three weeks away—Friday through Sunday, September 30-October 2. The event is sponsored by the Stephens County Historical Society, Main Street Toccoa, and the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce.

Other community organizations involved in the weekend include the Civil Air Patrol, Marine Corps League, American Legion, VFW, Stephens County High School Junior ROTC, the Pilot Club of Toccoa, Toccoa Lions Club, Rotary Club of Toccoa, Toccoa Falls College Brass Ensemble, and the Stephens County High School and Toccoa Elementary Choruses.

Several World War II veterans who trained at Camp Toccoa in the four parachute infantry regiments (PIR) will be attending the weekend festivities. As of today, the following men have registered to attend: Carl Beck, Robert Meyers, and Robert Wright (501 PIR), Ed Pepping, Ed Shames, and Al Mampre (506 PIR—Easy Company), Robert Parks, Ken Johnson, Ira Moorehart, Fred Bahlau, Pee Wee (Jim) Martin, Mario Patruno, Malcolm Martin, and Jake McNiece (506 PIR). At least five children of Camp Toccoa men will also be in attendance.

These gentlemen will be arriving in Toccoa Thursday, September 29, and Friday, September 30. They will be speaking to students in the Stephens County School System Friday morning; autographing books, pictures, and other memorabilia from 1-4 p.m. Friday afternoon in the Mitchell Allen Memorial Hall at the Currahee Military Museum; participating in the parade Saturday morning at 11 a.m.; attending the banquet Saturday evening; and attending the memorial service at Currahee Mountain Sunday morning. You might even see some of them at the hangar dance to be held in the LeTourneau hangar at the airport Friday night at 7 p.m.

Living historians (re-enactors) from Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee will be present for the weekend and will set up their camps on the Stephens County Courthouse lawn and other areas near the museum.

The Currahee Challenge Run/Walk, sponsored by the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, will begin Saturday at 7:45 a.m. for the 3M run and at 8:30 a.m. for the 6M run. The run, of course, is held at Currahee Mountain.

Participants in the parade will include the Stephens County High School Indian Band, Camp Toccoa veterans, re-enactors driving military vehicles, Stephens County High School JROTC, and Shriners. Grand Marshal for the parade will be James Madio, the actor who portrayed Frank Perconte in the HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers.” Madio appears in nine of the “Band of Brothers” episodes. This is the first time that one of the actors has participated in Currahee Military Weekend, and he will be here to honor the veterans and celebrate the tenth anniversary of the mini-series release. The parade will begin after a parachute jump by the Special Forces Association Parachute Team.

Activities at the airport will begin Friday night with the hangar dance and will continue Saturday with plane and helicopter rides, vintage planes on display, and army recruiter displays (including a climbing wall).

Opening ceremonies will be held at the depot following the parade. The Blue Ridge Rifles from North Georgia College will perform; and Rev. David Ritcey, pastor of First Baptist Church will sing the national anthem following the presentation of colors by the Stephens County High School JROTC.

Julie Beyrle Schugars, daughter of Joe Beyrle, will speak at the opening ceremonies. Beyrle trained at Camp Toccoa and jumped into Normandy on D-Day. He was captured by the Germans, and after several attempts he escaped. Unable to locate Americans, he joined the Russians and fought with them against the Germans, their common enemy. . The Joe Beyrle exhibit, “A Hero of Two Nations,” will continue to be displayed through October 2 in the museum.

Visitors to Toccoa/Stephens County are encouraged to visit the Camp Toccoa property recently donated to the Stephens County Historical Society by Pacolet-Milliken, Inc. and the memorials that are nearby.

The Currahee Military Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day during the weekend, and local citizens are encouraged to visit the museum and become a part of the excitement of this event. Admission prices are $8 for adults and $3 for students under 18.

Currahee Military Weekend gives the community and Northeast Georgia an opportunity to honor the veterans who trained here, the thousands of veterans who have served our country on many other battlefields, and the active military men and women who are currently serving the United States on several battlegrounds and on military posts around the world. There will undoubtedly be active military men and women in attendance during the weekend. Show your appreciation to the active military, as well as to the veterans, when you visit Toccoa during Currahee Military Weekend.

Toccoa-Stephens County Prepares for the 9th Annual Currahee Military Weekend

Toccoa, GA, August 29, 2011 – The Stephens County Historical Society, the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce, and the Toccoa Main Street are once again teaming up to host the 9^th annual Currahee Military Weekend Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2011. The events will take place in downtown Toccoa, the Stephens County Airport, and Currahee Mountain.

The event began 9 years ago to honor the men of Camp Toccoa and as a show of appreciation for the sacrifices they made. It is estimated that as many as 17,000 soldiers from the 501^st, 506^th, 511^th, 517^th Parachute Infantry Regiments trained at Camp Toccoa during the two years that they were located at the base of Currahee Mountain. With the paratrooper population being greater than the town’s population, one can imagine the impact of the soldiers on the community.

“We look forward to the paratroopers who trained at Camp Toccoa and their families coming back to Toccoa for the reunion to reminisce about their experiences with their friends who shared this very significant time in their lives,” says Brenda Carlan, County and Currahee Military Museum Executive Director. Each year, some Camp Toccoa veterans return for the first time since they left in the 1940’s. It can be very emotional for them to see some of the places they frequented while they were in training. During the weekend visitors can meet some of the paratroopers who trained here and listen to their stories. Each year the veterans and re-enactors visit local school and teach the students about WWII from a firsthand perspective.

New this year is a traveling exhibit from Russia made possible by Russia, the United States and the Joe Beyrle family that will be displayed in the Currahee Military Museum during the event. Beyrle’s story of being captured by the Germans, escaping and then joining up and fighting with the Russians against Germany is a fascinating story. Beyrle returned to Toccoa on many occasions to attend reunions, meet with old friends and to visit Stephens County Middle School, where he was very close to the students. He often shared some of his WWII experiences with them during his visits. His daughter, Julie Schugars will be the guest speaker at the Opening Ceremonies on Saturday, October 1 at 11:30 a.m.

Also, this year marks the tenth year anniversary of the release of the HBO miniseries “The Band of Brothers.” This story immortalized the lives of some of the courageous men who trained at Camp Toccoa and fought as paratroopers during WWII. James Madio, who portrayed Frank Perconte in the film, will be the special speaker for the banquet on October 1 at 7:00 p.m. at the Georgia Baptist Conference Center. “Events like this are a small fraction of what I can give back to the men and women who have served our country. It would be pleasure to join you guys,” said Madio about attending the events during the weekend. Tickets are $50.00 and can be purchased from the Stephens County Historical Society. The event is open to the general public.

This will be the first year that the Stephens County Historical Society will have possession of a part of the original property that made up Camp Toccoa. Recently the Pacolet-Milliken company donated nearly six acres of the property as well as the last remaining building of the camp, a long concrete block building that was once a mess hall. Initial plans are for a pavilion holding about 300 people to be built there. Visitors can go and visit the site during the weekend.

The weekend events also include the Hanger Dance on Friday, Sept. 30 at 7:00 p.m., a spectacular parachute jump on Boyd Field, Sat at 10:50 a.m., a Veterans’ Parade, the famous Currahee Challenge Run/Walk “3 Miles Up-3 Miles Down”, special opening ceremonies, as well as weapons displays and living history displays.

There will also be an Airport Show at the Stephens County Airport with the opportunity to ride in one of the vintage WWII aircraft flown by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) Dixie Wing and the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation.

A solemn remembrance service on Sunday morning at the foot of Currahee Mountain is a fitting end to this special weekend. As “taps” is played in the early morning, the lives of the heroes of the past are remembered as well as the heroes of today.

This is a community-wide collaboration and celebration of Toccoa’s rich military history. The event would not be possible without broad support from community sponsors, volunteers and civic clubs.

For more information, contact the Toccoa Stephens County Chamber of Commerce at 706-886-2132 or the Stephens County Historical Society at 706-282-5055.