Tears fell from the sky

A crashing crescendo from the Nevada High School Marching Band drowned out the thunder as the dedication ceremony for Nevada's newest mural, "Vernon County Valor," on Patriot Day, Sept. 11, the second anniversary of the destruction of the Twin Towers. Veterans, guardsmen and onlookers who'd gathered for the ceremony touched their hands over their hearts and sang the National Anthem. A little more than halfway through the song the heavy clouds drifting above spilled a heavy downpour of rain on the gathered crowd. However, the chorus of voices did not waver as the torrential downpour soaked all of them, but all stood respectfully, saluting the flag. Once the "Star-Spangled Banner" was finished, nearly everyone ran for cover, bringing the ceremony to an instantaneous but temporary end. The event resumed a few hours later, inside the Fox Playhouse. "Thank you for enduring," said Kathi Wysong, of the Vernon County/Nevada Chamber of Commerce. "My goodness, what a fantastic mural we have out there," she said after the dedication ceremony had been moved into the newly renovated building, which is now used primarily by the Community Council on the Performing Arts for regular productions. Wysong felt proud of the dedication of the wet crowd. "You can't stop singing when it's your national anthem," said Wysong. Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt said, "Americans are willing to do extraordinary things to preserve freedom." He felt that this strong sense of personal valor and the work ethic will be transferred to the next generations through projects like the "Vernon County Valor" mural.