LZ Maryland Vietnam Veterans tribute set for state fairgrounds
Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall while in Vidalia, LA, in June 2015. (Billy Hathorn)
National name acts from Vietnam era include The Association, Lovin’ Spoonful, The Motortown All-Stars, U.S. Air Force Band and USO/Bob Hope – Style Show
OWINGS MILLS, MD – Maryland Public Television’s (MPT) public event saluting the region’s Vietnam veterans, LZ Maryland, will feature a variety of music and entertainment acts from the Vietnam era during its two-day run on June 18 – 19 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
The Father’s Day weekend event welcomes and honors Vietnam veterans and their families from Maryland and nearby states and is part of the multi-million dollar MPT Salutes Vietnam Veterans initiative. LZ Maryland admission is free for veterans, active-duty military, Gold Star survivors, and those age 12 and under. Entry is only $5 for all other attendees. Free and paid tickets are available at mpt.org/lzmaryland.
The Association, one of the most popular bands of the 1960s, take the LZ Maryland stage on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Inducted recently into America’s Pop Music Hall of Fame, The Association had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts including “Windy,” “Cherish,” “Never My Love” and “Along Comes Mary” and were the lead-off band at 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the Lovin’ Spoonful performs its set on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Combining folk music and rock ‘n’ roll, with a touch of country, the Lovin’ Spoonful produced such memorable 1960s hits as “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Daydream,” “You Didn’t Have to be So Nice,” “Nashville Cats” and the 1966 anthem “Summer in the City.”
The Motortown All-Stars perform on Saturday at 8 p.m. The group comprises vocalists drawn from several acts that made the Motown sound famous. The Motortown All-Stars features members of The Capitols, The Miracles (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees) and former members of The Temptations. In addition to their former groups’ hits, they perform songs made famous by The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
On Sunday, June 19, the LZ Maryland entertainment lineup includes the 50th Anniversary Tribute to the 1966 USO Show that featured Bob Hope’s troupe of Hollywood gypsies at Da Nang, Cu Chi, Pleiku, Saigon and Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. The 11 a.m. show features Bob Hope tribute artist Bill Johnson, USO veteran performer Michelle DellaFave, as well as Kim Walters re-creating the role of Anita Bryant and Camron Robertson as Vic Damone as they visited the front lines during Christmas 1966. Robertson is an Elkton, MD, native.
The United States Air Force Band, one of the world’s most respected, versatile and accomplished musical organizations, performs at LZ Maryland on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. From its beginnings in 1941 to today’s 179-member premier musical organization, The U.S. Air Force Band continues the tradition of representing the Air Force and its more than 400,000 dedicated active-duty and Air National Guard members to a global audience.
LZ Maryland also will feature solemn ceremonies to salute Marylanders killed or missing in action; the stirring conclusion of a nearly 1,100 motorcycle “Honor Ride“; a helicopter flyover; “The Wall That Heals,” the traveling half-size replica of Washington, D.C.’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial; a memorial of 1,017 empty white chairs on the racetrack infield in silent tribute to Marylanders killed or missing in action; a 120′ x 140′ “Tour of Duty” map of Southeast Asia manufactured so that veterans, family members and other attendees can walk on it, sign it, or make other notations; and displays of Vietnam-era aircraft, vehicles and other artifacts. Refreshments, reunion areas, and educational activities are also on tap.
Information on the MPT Vietnam project can be found at mpt.org/vietnam and at social media sites @MPTSalutesVets on Twitter and MPT Salutes Vietnam Veterans on Facebook.