Dragoons at Prattville Cityfest

Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 had a very favorable, highly visible presence in Prattville’s City Fest on Saturday May 14th. The Dragoons booth received a lot of attention and praise for promoting our Confederate Heritage from visitors and those passing by and as usual, we gave away a large quantity of free merchandise which included miniature Battle Flags, SCV recruiting coins, reproduction Confederate money, Alabama Division educational posters etc. Several hundred Battle Flags were distributed in a few hours as there was a great demand for them.  One person said they had a number at their home which they got at past Prattville parades while one lady indicated she made a point to arrive early and come to the Dragoons booth straight away to ensure she was able to get a flag and other goods before the stores were depleted. 

Dozens of 3x5' flags including Confederate national flags and Battle flags were also sold from the camp Quartermaster supplies and additionally a number of car tags, and pins were also sold which added to the camp treasury.  New SCV bags and backpacks proved to be very popular and sold out quickly also. Commander Waldo made an excellent visual aid, a poster which was displayed on an easel which showed many of the camps community service projects such as Indian Hill and other cemeteries, presentation of Hunley awards to Junior ROTC cadets, educational events including reenactments, community outreach and celebrations, and other activities. One lady who stopped and studied the poster as well as the literature in the booth exclaimed that this information served to dispel misconceptions and stereotypes she held about the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Dozens of the Division Heritage posters were given away and some went to area teachers and home schoolers. 

Several visitors signed a register providing their contact information so the camp can reach out to them to attend our meetings and research their ancestry to find Confederate veterans so they can join the SCV. 

Pictured below is the Camp 1524 booth showing the camp banner hanging behind our booth and seven of the early arrivals who helped set up the booth and begin to meet and greet visitors. Pictured, left to right, are Commander Stuart Waldo, 2nd Lt. Commander George Jenks, Ryan King, Tyler Suttle, Allen Herrod (in costume as Revolutionary War hero Patrick Henry), Quartermaster “General" Bill Myrick and Larry Spears. All photos were made by Camp Photographer Jack Moore. Larry Miller came a bit later and stayed for hours and Adjutant Wayne Sutherland even came by after a very early morning commute.  Treasurer Billy Leverette also arrived at the end of the day to assist in breaking down the booth as he had also assisted the previous evening in the setup including providing canopy weights and a table. Other Dragoons came to devote their time to greeting our visitors and working the booth area and others dropped by to visit  as they enjoyed the festive occasion of the day. 

This was another very successful public exposure for the camp and our shared Southern heritage. All Dragoons can take well warranted pride in their camp and our community efforts.