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Audience pays homage to fallen at Sugar Land Town Square

By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM

While it seemed that the drizzly weather might dampen enthusiasm, a large crowd of several hundred people filled the plaza of Sugar Land Town Square Sunday evening for “A Night to Remember,” making this year’s Memorial Day, which honors U.S. service members who have died in the line of duty.

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Presented by The Exchange Clubs of Texas and Louisiana, the second annual event was by turns somber and celebratory, filled with patriotic songs, a dance performance, and speeches by veterans. The Fort Bend Star served as media sponsor of the event.

As the late afternoon sun began to go down, the plaza was only sparsely populated, but as the start time of 7:30 p.m. approached, a diverse selection of people had gathered on the lawn. The Fort Bend Brass, an ensemble made up of musicians from the Fort Bend Symphony Orchestra, warmed up the crowd with classic patriotic tunes.

Among them were Ray and Debbie Routhier of Needville. Ray served in the 4th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, deployed to Germany in the 1970s.

“I’ts just important to come out and pay respect to the ones who didn’t come back,” he said.

Longtime Houston-area radio personality Scott Arthur, who now works with the Star of Hope Mission, served as emcee for the evening.

“We’re her to celebrate our diverse community, and pay tribute to our lost Americans,” he said in his introductory remarks.

The Sugar Land Police Department’s honor guard posted the U.S. and Texas flags.

Local singer Rey Paulino, accompanied by guitarist Dieter Scholz, performed a stirring rendition of the “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The duo would perform several other songs throughout the evening.

Voices of Sugar Land, a group of young singers from Sugar Land Baptist Church, performed a series of classic American songs, including “This Land is Your Land,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and “Grand Old Flag,” adding some numbers from the modern hit musical Hamilton, about the founding of the nation.

Bill and Kim Nash, Gram- my-award winning Nashville musicians and songwriters, next sang a series of songs that emphasized faith.

Perhaps the highlight of the evening were brief speeches by Xanthia Baptiste, a 15-year Army veteran (now serving in the U.S. Army Reserve) who lives with her children in Stafford and owns a small business focused on mental health services, and Ferrel Bonner, another Army veteran who retired after 20 years as a military intelligence officer and now lives in Missouri City. Both spoke movingly about the sacrifices made by veterans, in particular who lost their lives.

Ballet Grace, a group of young dancers from Sugar Land-based Cookie Joe’s Dancin’ School, performed a lovely dance along the steps of Sugar Land City Hall. The evening was capped off by Scott Arthur reciting the lyrics of the classic Johnny Cash song “Ragged Old Flag.”

On Monday, the official Memorial Day, (after the Star’s print deadline) there were other events around the area. Fort Bend County Judge KP George will host a Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at the Historic Fort Bend County Courthouse, featuring members of VFW Post 3903 and the All Glory Honor Guard and a wreath-laying

The city of Sugar Land hosted its annual ceremony at Sugar Land Memorial Park, with featured speakers retired Brigadier Gen. Dave Van Kleeck and Marine Corps combat veteran Brandon Harris.

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