November 8, 2024
Annual Leesburg Veteran’s Picnic Honors Service Members At Historic Mote-Morris House
By Kyle Coppola
Annual Leesburg Veteran’s Picnic Honors Service Members At Historic Mote-Morris House
Leesburg, Fla. (AP) – A sense of gratitude and patriotism filled the air at the Annual Leesburg Veteran’s Picnic, held at the historic Mote-Morris House and organized by Beyers Funeral Home and Crematory. The event, a heartfelt tribute to America’s Armed Forces, brought together veterans, community leaders, and local citizens to honor the service and sacrifices of military members.
“We see this as an honor to recognize our veterans who served our country well,” said Roger Beyers, owner of Beyers Funeral Home and Crematory. “Providing this event is our way of giving back – we want to thank them for everything they’ve done for us, protecting our freedoms and liberty.”
The picnic featured a free lunch, live performances, and a lineup of distinguished speakers. Among the attendees were Congressman Daniel Webster, who praised the veterans for their dedication to the country, and Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell, who emphasized the importance of recognizing the community’s service members.
The Leesburg High School ROTC cadets performed in salute, while the Orange Blossom Opry Band delivered a moving musical tribute. A poignant moment of the day included the traditional “missing man” table, symbolizing service members who are still missing in action or were prisoners of war.
“It’s important for us to gather and honor those who’ve served, and this event is a beautiful way to do that,” said Beyers.
Photo Credit – Matthew Gaulin
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
