Metro Lex News

Mayor Linda Gorton, U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, and University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto will be among the speakers at a program on Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

“I would like to invite everyone to come downtown to our historic Kentucky Theatre to help us mark this special anniversary of a remarkable day in our history,” Gorton said.

The program, which is free and open to the public, begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, at the Kentucky Theatre, located at 214 E. Main St. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

The City is partnering with several organizations for this event including the Kentucky Theatre, Kentucky Educational Television (KET), The Nunn Center, the Lexington Public Library Kentucky Room, Lexington History Museum, Lexington Sister Cities, and Full Field Agency.

Through its Sister City relationship with Deauville, France—located near the Normandy beaches where American forces landed during World War II—Lexington maintains a continuing connection with Normandy. In 1957, Lexington and Deauville were among the first cities worldwide to become Sister Cities.

“We have enjoyed a long, mutually beneficial relationship and built a strong bond,” Gorton stated. “The people of Deauville, working with our Sister Cities Executive Director Kay Sargent, have helped us put together this program tonight to again demonstrate the reverence they have for the Americans who died on the Normandy beaches.”

In addition to honoring D-Day's 80th anniversary, the ceremony will remember eight fallen soldiers connected to Lexington who are buried in the Normandy American Cemetery. Young participants from the Lexington-Deauville exchange program will introduce these soldiers while their families receive proclamations in memoriam from Mayor Gorton.

Capilouto will also speak and introduce audio footage of interviews with some of Lexington’s D-Day veterans provided by The Nunn Center. KET will present its documentary “In Their Own Words.” Produced in 2007 by KET’s Tom Bickel and narrated by Kentuckian Nick Clooney, "Kentucky WWII Veterans: In Their Own Words" features veterans recounting their combat experiences and sharing personal stories.

The evening will conclude with a reception.

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