Downtown concert honors the military
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on May 29, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Thursday night's Center Street Jam was more than a celebration of summer, it was a celebration of service.
The festivities honored the men and women of the United States military. Flags and banners decorated the main stage, and opening remarks were given by leadership from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
Jim Quick and Coastline performed beach music for the evening. The weather stayed nice, as hundreds of civilians, service members and veterans enjoyed the music.
Downtown Goldsboro Development Corporation President Terry Light started the evening by thanking the service members in attendance.
She said it was her favorite Center Street Jam of the series, because of military appreciation night. The military base is a cornerstone of economy.
"The Wings Over Wayne Air Show raised millions of dollars for the Goldsboro economy," Ms. Light said.
Mayor Al King introduced the guests of honor.
"This is a very, very special event," he said. "I would have liked to see many more people here, because what our military does for us, if we didn't have them, we wouldn't be able to sit here.
"It is up to all of us, whenever we get a chance, to appreciate our military."
Col. Mark Slocum, 4th Fighter Wing Commander, has been stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base three times.
"There's no place I'd rather be," he said. "The support we see, the support we feel, we're in schools together, we're in organization off base together."
He said he had over 200 service members deployed right now, with their families still in Goldsboro, "toughing it out."
He thanked the audience for their support.
Commander of the 916th Air Refueling Wing Col. Anthony Polashek has not been in Goldsboro that long.
"We're working on him," King joked.
But Polashek has already acclimated to the community. As commander of a primarily reservist wing, he said he appreciated the community for housing and welcoming members of his wing.
"You put the gold in Goldsboro," he said to the audience. "This is a fantastic place."
The last speaker, essentially a Goldsboro native at this point, Chief Master Sgt. James Loper did not feel that it was military appreciation night. He has been in Goldsboro almost 20 years.
"If you've been around this town for more than a minute, you know that every day in Goldsboro is military appreciation day," he said. "We feel this is our home, this is where our children grow up. We hope that every day on base is Goldsboro appreciation day, because you mean so much to what we do, and we couldn't do it without you."