Photos courtesy Angela Norris and Brian Locklear.
The American Flag was flying high at the Columbus County Fairgrounds,
For the second Annual Columbus County Public Safety Expo and Chicken Bog Cook-Off.
the Columbus County Fire and Rescue Honor Guard and Columbus County Sheriff‘s Office Honor Guard presented the colors and Dep. Earl Redwine sang the National Anthem. The ceremony was dedicated to the ones that lost their lives on 9/11.
Even though the weather didn’t want to cooperate, several fire departments came out for their demonstrations and competitions.
Firefighter Competition winners were
1st place overall- Brunswick
2nd place overall- Southport
3rd place overall- Hallsboro
The Chicken Bog Cook-Off Winners were
1st place- Southeastern Community College
2nd place- Williams Township
3rd place- Columbus County Fire and Rescue Honor Guard
This year’s event was dedicated in memory of Tabor City Police Officer Shane Miller.
His parents, Tony and Sue Miller, were present to honor their son. Miller died in the line of duty on his first patrol.
The Ferguson Building featured a memorial display of Miller’s firefighting uniform, helmets, and police hat. The table had a bouquet of yellow roses and long stemmed red roses, with a white candle burning. A second table displayed a folded flag with red rose, a lit candle lantern, a plaque with the poem Broken Chains, and pictures of Miller.
At the end of the two tables was a Tabor City Police car door with the officer’s picture , name, End of Watch date 5-15-04, and the inscription “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God”.
Behind the display were the Fire, Rescue and Law Enforcement flags. This memorial was a reminder of the sacrifices all first responders give to their communities.
Each year the Safety Expo will be dedicated to the memory of a local first responder.
