Activities for the 134th Soldiers Reunion will kick-off next week and continue till the culmination with the annual parade in Newton on Thursday, August 17that 6:30 pm.

Soldiers Reunion is one of the oldest patriotic events in the nation not tied to the Fourth of July. It started in 1889 when residents of Catawba county wanted to have a gathering of veterans in downtown Newton, the county seat of Catawba County. The first year the veterans marched around the courthouse square, demonstrating what they had been taught in the military and there has been a parade ever since.

Heading off the multitude of events will be the Soldiers Reunion Beauty Pageants running from Tuesday August 8th through Thursday, August 10th. The pageants will be held at the Newton Performing Arts Center, 60 West Sixth Street, Newton starting at 6:30 pm each night.

Tuesday night will be Baby Miss Reunion (0-18 months), Toddler Miss Reunion (19-35 months), and Tiny Miss Reunion (3-5 years of age.)

Wednesday night will be Little Miss Reunion (6-8 years), Junior Miss Reunion (9-12 years) and Teen Miss Reunion (13-16 years).

Thursday will be Miss Reunion (17-20 years), Ms. Reunion (21+ years and single or divorced), and Mrs. Reunion (21+ years).

“This year we have opened the registration to the counties that surround Catawba to increase competition and add value to the pageant,” said long time organizer Debbie Huss of Newton.

The registration deadline has been extended and participants can register via Facebook or through the event website above.

New to Soldiers Reunion this year will be a Carts & Coffee event held on Saturday, August 12th from 6pm till dusk. Any low-speed vehicle like, UTVs, Side-by-sides, and golf carts, may participate and those not registered are invited to be trailered into town and ride on the official route.

“We wanted something for the younger crowd this year, so we elected to try a Carts & Coffee, said Soldier Reunion secretary Zach Duncan.

Duncan went on to explain that there will be food and drink vendors downtown as well as a DJ playing great music to give energy to the night. Registration is free and we encourage all the entries to see who can be the most patriotic.

“There is a ton of information about this new event on our website, so check it out,” Duncan added with an exclamation.

Rounding up the first week of Soldiers Reunion will be the Car Cruisin’ on Sunday, August 13thfrom noon till dusk. Vehicles built prior to 1972 can be displayed and then cruised around the route in downtown Newton in two-way traffic.

“I’ve lost count of how many years we have had Cruisin’ with Soldiers Reunion,” Yerby Ray, vice-chair of Soldiers Reunion said.

Music will be provided by the trio of Mike Sherrill, Wayne Taylor, Adam Rose as they will play to the crowd during the day at the Frank and Sue Jones Amphitheatre in downtown Newton.

Participants can register ahead of the event at WNNC, Narrow Coffee & Nosh, Dairy Center in Newton, and at the event. For more information, please access the Soldiers Reunion website as the rules and event information is posted there.

Soldiers Reunion is still seeking businesses, non-profits, church groups or clubs to have an entry in the parade. You can register for the parade on the Soldiers Reunion website.

“We have moved the start time of the parade back to 6:30 pm on Thursday, August 17th so more people can come and honor our veterans with their family,” Ray added.

It is not too late to sign up as a vendor or exhibitor for Thursday, August 17th in downtown Newton. There are still spaces available.

“If you want to become one of our vendors and be a part of the fun, please apply under the Applications section on the menu bar, and click on Vendor Application. Vendor applications are due by August 8th,” Will Yoder said.

First off, we are still seeking volunteers to help with this year’s Soldiers Reunion, for all events. If you are interested in helping, please go to our website, click Applications on the menu bar, and then click Volunteer Application. We have to have you registered on the website in order to know how many volunteer T-Shirts to order. If you or anyone you know wants to volunteer this year, please go apply now!! Volunteer Applications are due by July 30th.

Second, we are still seeking businesses/private parties to be a sponsor for Soldiers Reunion. We have multiple levels of sponsorships available, ranging from $250-$5000. We are registered as a nonprofit organization, so any contributions are tax deductible!! If you know of a business that would like to help support the honoring of our veterans, please refer them to the website under the Get Involved option on the menu bar. Sponsorship Applications are due by July 31st. If you are not seeking a sponsorship, we also accept donations and gifts-in-kind. For further questions or concerns regarding sponsorships, donations, or gifts-in-kind, not covered on the website, please contact us at contactsoldiersreunion@gmail.com.

Third, it is not too late to sign up as a vendor/exhibitor!! We still have spaces available for you. If you want to become one of our vendors and be a part of the fun, please apply under the Applications section on the menu bar, and click on Vendor Application. Vendor applications are due by August 8th.

Fourth, you can still sign up to be in the parade!! If you have a business, church group, Boy Scout Troop, nonprofit organization, etc. and you would like to be a part of honoring our veterans, please apply under the Applications section of the menu bar, and then click on Parade Application.

Fifth, Soldiers Reunion Beauty Pageants, are still open to apply. If you or someone you know wants to be a part of the pageants, please visit our website and click Soldiers Reunion Pageants under Applications on the menu bar. There will be a PDF Paper copy you can fill out and mail to Phaedra Pistone at 447 Greenbay Road Moorseville, NC 28117. If you have any questions regarding the pageants, please contact flowersp2@hotmail.com. The deadline to apply for the Beauty Pageants is July 31st.

Lastly, our next Soldiers Reunion Committee meeting is scheduled for July 20th at 5:30pm, held at Narrow Coffee & Nosh (13 N. College Ave. Newton, NC 28658). Feel free to attend if you please.

Thank y’all for your continued support in making the 134th Soldiers Reunion a success!!
Our website is www.SoldiersReunion.org

Major changes are planned for the 134th Soldiers Reunion which is held in the third week of August in downtown historic Newton. New events and times for some of the traditional events are among the changes.

Soldiers Reunion is now federally designated non-profit and all donations to any of the events are considered donations that can be used to offset your federal taxes. “We are now an official 501 (c) (3) and are actively seeking sponsorships from the business community to help fund our 134th year as well as years to come,” said Alex Yoder, co-chair of the Soldiers Reunion committee.

“Bennett Funeral Service in Newton and Conover has stepped up and become one of our title sponsors for Soldiers Reunion this year,” Alex Yoder said in a June press release. Bennett Funeral Service which provides funeral, memorial, aftercare, pre-planning, and cremation services in the Newton-Conover and the surrounding communities has always been a critical part of Soldiers Reunion.

“In the coming weeks we are going to ask additional business to help support our programs and events, so look for a letter in the mail, or a visit from our team so you can join in and thank our veterans,” said Will Yoder, co-chair of the Soldiers Reunion committee.

“We are proud to announce and share our new logo for Soldiers Reunion. It was created by Newton-Conover High School’s Career and Technical Education Adobe Academy class led by Marty Isenhour,” Will Yoder announced. The class collaborated with Soldiers Reunion volunteers to create a brand that will be used for advertising, letter head, and websites for all official communications of Soldiers Reunion. The Newton-Conover City Schools CTE program aligns with both the school system and state CTE mission to provide innovative, rigorous, and relevant instruction by offering a comprehensive Career and Technical Education program to academically prepare students for success for college and careers.

Zach Duncan, Secretary of Soldiers Reunion has said that the dates and times of most of the activities of reunion events have been set and can be seen on the website: www.soldiersreunion.org. “We will follow-up with additional press releases closer to the events so everyone will know what and when our events are happening,” Duncan explained.

“Key changes like the parade will start at 6:30p.m. so it is cooler temperatures for the high school bands, and more people can get off work and bring their families to watch. We are also moving the day of the Baby Parade and have added a Golf cart event to the Saturday before Soldiers Reunion week,” Duncan added.

“We still need volunteers to help us with the planning and direction of our events and we are going to have another volunteer meeting very soon,” Yerby Ray, vice chair of Soldiers Reunion announced.

Soldiers Reunion in Newton is one of the nation’s oldest patriotic celebrations that is community run. This year marks the 134th continuous year that the event has been held in Catawba County. To learn more about, register to be in the parade or be a vendor on the square on parade day, donate to support our mission, or volunteer, go to our website www.soldiersreunion.org.

Parade Applications are now LIVE and OPEN on the website. When applying, please make sure you review all Rules and Regulations.

Soldiers Reunion Incorporated is now officially a 501(C)(3) Public Charity. This means that all donations and sponsorships are tax-deductible!!

Soldiers Reunion Inc. Executive Board is still seeking volunteers to help with Fund Development. If this is something that you are skilled in, or have any interest in, you can sign up on the Volunteer Application, located under the Applications tab on the top menu of the website.

Last, but definitely not least, we have our first sponsor, who is also our first “Title Sponsor,” Bennett Funeral Service. We would like to give endless thanks to them for their continued support. We are still searching for more businesses who are interested and willing to be a sponsor, to help make Soldiers Reunion as successful as possible.

As you can tell we have gone digital so if you see any issues or have any ideas please reach out and let us know. All information and applications will be online and can be submitted online or printed and mailed to our listed address on the application.The Soldiers Reunion committee is seeking volunteers to help out with our multi-day celebration. Our volunteers meeting will be held on April 20th 2023 5:30pm to 7:00pm at the Catawba County Library* in the Large Community Room. The Catawba County Library is located at 115 West C Street, Newton, NC 28658.

*This program is neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Catawba County Library or Catawba County Gov.