Lexington will honor the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which is coming up Thursday, June 6, with a commemorative program, Mayor Linda Gorton said.
The City is partnering with the Kentucky Theatre, Kentucky Educational Television, The Nunn Center, the Lexington Public Library Kentucky Room, Lexington History Museum, Lexington Sister Cities and Full Field Agency for a special program to be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, June 6, at the Kentucky Theatre. The event will be free and open to the public.
“I would like to invite everyone to come downtown to our historic Kentucky Theatre to help us mark this special anniversary of a remarkable day in our history,” Gorton said.
Through its Sister City, Deauville, France, Lexington has a continuing relationship with Normandy. Deauville is located near the Normandy beaches where American forces landed in World War II. In 1957, Lexington and Deauville were among the first two cities around the world to become Sister Cities.
“We have enjoyed a long, mutually beneficial relationship and built a strong bond,” Gorton said.
In addition to honoring the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the ceremony will offer a remembrance of the eight fallen soldiers with connections to Lexington who are buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. Young people from Deauville will introduce the fallen soldiers. Their families will receive proclamations in memoriam from the Mayor.
University of Kentucky President Dr. Eli Capilouto will speak and introduce audio footage of interviews with some of Lexington’s D-Day veterans, provided by the Nunn Center and KET will present the documentary “In Their Own Words.”
The evening will conclude with a reception.
