By Jeff Vorva
The tradition continues.
There are many traditions in the area when it comes to honoring those who served on Veterans Day.
But when the Palos Heights Parks and Recreation Department tag-teams with Alderman Jack Clifford for the annual Veterans Day Breakfast, it usually brings in a roomful of hungry former military men and women who served.
That was the case against this year. On Nov. 9, the Orchard Room of the Recreation Center was buzzing with more than 100 vets in attendance to eat, listen to entertainment and to swap memories and stories.
Clifford and Mayor Bob Straz gave talks with Straz emphasizing the decline in veterans groups such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and urging people to volunteer to keep those groups alive.
Navy Lt. Commander Scott Allen and Chairman of the Veterans Committee Scott Kelly were also in attendance.
Clifford organized a raffle for the vets. Food was provided by Royalberry Waffle House and Restaurant and for the second year in a row the ByGone Gals performed.
The ByGone Gals are a mother-daughter team of Sandy and Mandy Barry of Evergreen Park who dress up in old military uniforms and sing songs from the 1940s such as “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” “In the Mood,” “You Are My Sunshine” and “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me).”
These two singers get pretty busy, especially around the holidays, and bring joy and enthusiasm to their performances and tell stories and give information about each song.
Noting that there are fewer World War II veterans still around and with the abundance of Vietnam vets who come to these events, the Barrys are talking about changing things up and adding Vietnam-era songs to their setlist.
