Barrington festival, run to support troops and veterans
Wearing an army green T-shirt with "Marines" across the front, Melissa Papke wiped away tears with the back of her hand as she thought about her little brother who was deployed to Iraq a month ago.
Melissa's 22-year-old brother, Andrew Papke, has served four years in the Marines and was told at the end of July that he'd be leaving for Iraq. There was no time for him to return home to say goodbye, so Melissa and her family went to North Carolina for a quick send off.
A wide range of emotions surfaced Saturday for Melissa, 32, as she joined thousands of people at the Family Freedom Festival and Run in Barrington, an event of patriotic entertainment established in response to 9/11 and aimed at showcasing groups that support troops and veterans.
"It breaks my heart that he's there. But my brother's big and brave and he wants me not to worry. It's a lot for a family to go through," said Melissa, of Palatine
The outpouring of support at the Barrington event helps, Melissa said. "It's amazing how many people are here to here to show support. I'm overwhelmed with emotion," she said.
The event, in its sixth year, saw its highest attendance ever during the opening ceremony, organizers said. They expected 5,000 people to come throughout the daylong event that included musical entertainment, military speakers, military vehicle displays, children's events and a military flyover.
"The community has come out in force to show their support," said Dirk Beveridge, president of We Do Care, a grass roots, non political and non profit organization that organized the event.
"It gives people a chance to stop, pause and reflect that there are people sacrificing their lives for us," said Beveridge, a Barrington resident.
He added that the morning run started at 9:11 a.m. It was symbolic as brothers, one in Barrington, one in Saudi Arabia, were running at the same time in the so called "shadow runs." Matt and Brian Gerber participated. Matt ran in Barrington and Brian, an Army major serving in Saudi Arabia, was among hundreds of military personnel participating in 9.11-mile runs in Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Riyadh Saudi Arabia.
Lester Stuart and his wife Barb volunteered to assist with the run. The Elgin couple did so because their son, Todd, joined the Marine Reserves 15 months ago.
"We're proud of him," Lester said of their son. When their 20-year-old, an Elgin High School graduate, first told them he was going to quit playing football at Carthage College to enlist, they were not so thrilled. But they realized it was what he wanted to do. "He's taking it very seriously. He's a big marine - 6 foot 3 and 230 pounds," the proud father said.
Many military veterans also attended the Saturday events that took place on a day with perfect weather, organizers said.
"I have a strong heart for the military," said Veteran Richard Shusha of Barrington. "We really appreciate this," he said looking around at the crowds of people carrying American flags.
Al Lorentzen of Inverness, who served in the Air Force from 1956 to 1962, came Saturday to show his support as well. "I think it's a great thing," he said while sitting in the picnic area listening to patriotic music.