Events set in Toccoa to honor D-Day anniversary

To celebrate the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day, there are two activities happening the first weekend of June in Toccoa to commemorate the occasion.
Currahee Military Museum is offering an alternative option in Toccoa since it is impossible for everyone to attend the anniversary ceremonies happening in Europe this Summer.
On Saturday, June 1, the annual D-Day Run at Currahee Mountain will be hosted by Camp Toccoa at Currahee. The camp will then be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Currahee Military Museum in downtown Toccoa will have special exhibits and displays inside and outside, weather permitting, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On Saturday night at 6 p.m., the museum will host the second annual “Sobel Special” dinner and program. The dinner is open to the public and staff at the Currahee Military Museum are encouraging those interested to join them for a program on the life of German soldier Heinrich Fahrian, portrayed by living historian Wesley Farrington from Matthews, NC.
Farrington will give a talk highlighting the difference between a German soldier and a Nazi German soldier, as well as the effects this had on the families of the soldiers during and after WWII.
Vietnam veteran Rick Webber, of the 1st 506th D. Company, will present a shadow box containing part of a parachute that was used to jump into Normandy on June 6, 1944, that was later gifted to Maj. Dick Winters. This piece of history will return to Normandy to make another jump on the 80th anniversary of D-Day and will then be returned to the museum.
“It has always been easy to think that all German soldiers were the same, but sadly that was not always the case,” said Brenda Farlin, executive director of the Stephens County Historical Society. “German soldiers faced drastic consequences for refusing legal orders during the war. One and a half million German soldiers were sentenced to imprisonment for refusing to follow an order and 30,000 were sentenced to death, of whom 23,000 were executed.”
Cynthia Brown and Gary Bellamy, volunteers at Camp Toccoa at Currahee, recently gave The Toccoa Record a tour of the museum and property on the outskirts of Toccoa.
Brown said the camp attracts veterans from all over the world to explore the museum and hike up and down Currahee Mountain nearby, and the camp holds a special place in their hearts.
The camp’s museum has connections to WWII Gen. George Patton, the HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” and the 1998 Steven Spielberg movie, “Saving Private Ryan,” singer James Brown, among other surprises.
“It’s just an incredible experience for everybody involved,” Brown said. “This place has such a rich history.”
The Stephens County Historical Society offers the “Sobel Special” dinner because it was special to the WWII paratroopers that trained at Camp Toccoa. The organization uses the dinner as a chance to honor the “Currahee Men” who served during the war.
Tickets for the dinner are $25, and the entrees include either spaghetti or chicken alfredo fettucine. The dinner and program will be in the Mitchell Allen Memorial Hall with limited seating.
To purchase tickets, contact 706-282-5055 or email contact@toccoahistory.com. Tickets can also be purchased online at toccoahistory.com.Events set in Toccoa to honor D-Day anniversary