Spirit of '45 celebration expands for 70th anniversary of end of WWII

TRAVELERS REST, S.C. – At a media event held Friday at the Cecil D. Buchanan War Museum in downtown Greenville, Spirit of '45 Upstate event coordinator Lamar McCarrell announced plans for the 2015 celebration, this year marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Spirit of '45 Upstate, which first began in 2011 with a public ceremony at Travelers Rest City Hall, is now a multi-day event honoring WWII veterans and celebrating the accomplishments of our “greatest generation," including those that fought and the ordinary heroes who worked at home to aid the war effort.

Last year, thirty living World War II veterans were recognized at Spirit of '45 Upstate, which was also the winner of the America Association for State and Local History’s 2013 Award of Merit and was named as the model celebration for the State of South Carolina.

In 2015, the main celebration will move to a new venue — the Younts Conference Center on the Furman University campus, outgrowing its previous venue once again, McCarrell said.

The complete schedule for the Upstate celebration is below.

Photos: Spirit of '45 Through the Years (2011 - 2013)
 

Find the Upstate Spirit of '45 on Facebook here.

To view photos from 2014, click here.

Schedule for 2015:

• The main ceremony will be held on Sunday, August 9 at 3 p.m. in the Younts Conference Center at Furman University.

• A vehicle and memorabilia display will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, August 9 at the Younts Conference Center at Furman University.

• "Recollections and Remembrances": Recorded interviews of citizens who remember the ending of World War II will be conducted beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4 at Reedy River Baptist Church. (Related: Photos: Upstate Spirit of '45 'Recollections and Remembrances')

(Video credit: Noble Fox Creative)

Spirit of '45 Upstate is sponsored by the Travelers Rest Historical Society and the city of Travelers Rest, with the cooperation of Honor Flight Upstate SC and the Cecil D. Buchanan War Museum at American Legion Post 3 in Greenville.