Russ
Coming a bit late to Vets Building in Grass Valley for the California Army National Guard band concert Sunday afternoon, Ellen and I were greeted by a bevy of Boy Scouts carrying folding chairs into the auditorium from the basement store room. The audience had grown beyond expectations. Ellen and I climbed into the bleacher seats for a better view of the stage. The Boy Scouts and Vets continued to expand the seating on the floor below. Looking over the crowded floor, I spotted ten empty seats in the front row. At the far end of the row was Supervisors Sue Horne and Nate Beason, Sheriff Keith Royal, and Nevada City’s Chief of Police Lew Travado. It was the VIP row with ten empty seats.
All the special guests were introduced and then the announcer expressed his regret the Beale AFB Representative had not arrived, nor the City Councils, though they all had been invited. I am assuming he was referring to the Grass Valley and Nevada City Councils, as they were all absent. A full house with ten empty reserved VIP seats in the front row makes a statement about what the City Councils. Maybe they had better things to do than support the USO on a Sunday afternoon.
This concert was a money raising event for the USO (United Services Organization) a private nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting our troops and their families since 1922. Organized by our Local Vets Chapter, and supported by local organizations including the Friend of the Nevada County Military, and local business. It troubled me to see the ten reserved seats for the City Council members empty, while dedicated patriots were in the back row straining to see the stage. Who were the real VIPs, not the City Councils, but the hundreds of Vets and their families who showed up to support the USO and hear the “Governor’s own band,” the 59th Army Band.
Some pictures of the the event:
Click for a larger image. Note the empty chairs in the front row.
Click for larger image. This is the dance band configuration.
