Gold Star Families Ceremony Leads Armed Forces Celebration

A salute to Gold Star Families will mark the kick off of Huntsville’s Armed Forces Celebration. 

The Gold Star ceremony will take place Sunday at Toyota Field as part of the Rocket City Trash Pandas baseball game. Just prior to the first pitch at 2:35 p.m., an announcement will be made honoring the immediate family members of  service members who died in the line of duty. 

The recognition will be followed by the National Anthem and a special military flyover by three helicopters from the Army’s Redstone Test Center. 

During the seventh-inning stretch, Staff Sgt. Richard Scarlett of Fort Benning’s Maneuver Center of Excellence Band will sing “God Bless America.”

These events, also marked by Fathers Day, are the start of a series of free public events that include a proclamation signing ceremony June 28 at the Huntsville/Madison County Veterans Memorial in downtown Huntsville.

The Maneuver Center of Excellence Band will perform at 6:30 that night as part of Huntsville’s Concert In The Park series. The concert will be followed by fireworks. 

There will be displays around Big Spring Park including the ATF response truck with demonstrations by their dogs and handlers; Huntsville Police Department response vehicles; and an interactive display by the Army’s Redstone Test Center. 

NASA will also have an inflatable SLS display and a helicopter from the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum will be on hand among other attractions.

Huntsville will revive a popular event from the past on June 29 – a free community softball game featuring local elected leaders vs. Redstone Arsenal at 6 p.m. This year it will be hosted at Toyota Field.