THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 10, 1995 TAG: 9508100464
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
A '40s-style Saturday night street dance and a Sunday morning service at Veterans Riverfront Park will highlight this weekend's celebration of the 50th anniversary of V-J Day, the day that marked the end of World War II.
The celebration is a city affair, a special project of Mayor Gloria Webb, who has invited all residents of Hampton Roads to share the occasion.
A street dance at 8 p.m., with music from the World War II years by the Billy Morris Band, will cap Saturday's events.
The Red Coats will play period music from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., and the Tidewater Ballroom Dancers Association will demonstrate dances of the 1940s at 7.
Activities will begin at 4 p.m. with World War II equipment and re-enactors in the federal parking lot at High and Water streets. Vintage automobiles will be displayed on High Street, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard's float of the Alabama will be displayed.
The Coast Guard patrol boat Point Huron will be docked at the foot of High Street and open to visitors.
On Sunday morning, the Portsmouth Flag Associates and World War II veterans will stage a flag ceremony at 7:45 a.m.
A nondenominational service, coordinated by the Rev. Ector Hamrick of Port Norfolk Baptist Church, will begin at 8 a.m.
The speaker will be Marine Chaplain John Craver, who served in World War II. A color guard from Portsmouth Naval Hospital will participate.
All Portsmouth churches have been asked to ring their bells at 9:15 a.m. for five minutes.
The weekend celebration will continue at 4 p.m., when the Army Continental Jazz Ensemble will play at the waterfront.
The band will play Big Band music from the 1940s.
All activities are free and open to the public. People are encouraged to take lawn chairs and blankets for the outdoor programs.
Businesses will sell food and beverages near the park. by CNB