The final talk of the year in the “Crawford County Chronicles” series will take place
Nov. 11, when a special edition of the program commemorating Veterans Day will be
hosted at the King Opera House in Van Buren.
The presentation, which is free and open to the public and will begin after the 6:30 p.m. Veterans Day parade, will feature World War II veteran Warren Blaylock recounting his experiences fighting in Europe.
Blaylock, a businessman, teacher, veteran and livestock farmer, landed in Normandy shortly after the D-Day invasion, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and earned a Bronze Star for his valor in combat.
Tom Wing, director of the Drennen-Scott Historic Site and assistant professor of history at AV¶¶Ňő, said Blaylock is “a regular contributor to the Crawford County Chronicles programs.”
“Warren is an excellent storyteller who keeps his audiences enthralled,” Wing said. “He has a story about getting strafed by the Luftwaffe on the beaches of Normandy, but the main thing he’ll talk about is his Battle of the Bulge experiences because he was very involved in it.”
Blaylock currently operates Auctioneering Associates and has taught school as well as worked at American Can Co. and the Darrel Thomas Co. He volunteers his time to organizations such as the Western Arkansas Counseling and Guidance Center, the Crawford County Senior Citizens Center, and Citizens Bank and Trust. He was inducted into the Senior Arkansans Hall of Fame in May.
This is the eighth and final talk of the year for the “Crawford County Chronicles” series, which debuted for the first time in March. Wing called the series’ inaugural year “a resounding success.”
“We’ve been packed every program,” he said. “The response has been excellent.”
The talks have been held on the first Sunday of each month, ending in November. In addition to the Veterans Day talk, Fred Williams will present “The Fort, The Court, and an Outlaw Turned Good” Nov. 3 at the Drennen-Scott Historic Site.
While registration for the Nov. 3 talk is already full, Wing said he is exploring options to offer more opportunities for people to attend next year’s talks in response to the popularity of this year’s programs.
AV¶¶Ňő acquired the Drennen home and acreage in 2005 and received several grants to restore the property and house, which dates back to the 1800s. The Drennen-Scott Historic Site, which opened to the public in May 2011, serves as a museum and educational facility for AV¶¶Ňő. John Drennen was a founder of Van Buren, politician, Indian agent, landowner and businessman.
For more information, contact Wing by telephone at 479-262-2750 or by email at tom.wing@uafs.edu.