January 18, 2021
Only a few days after the US Capitol was the theater for a violent insurgency, the stage is being prepared for a very different event.
On Jan. 20, at noon, Joe Biden will take the oath of office and become the 46th president of the US. Kamala Harris, too, will take the oath as vice-president, and make history as the first woman and the first Black and Asian American one to do so.
Presidential inaugurations are big productions, and this one will be, too, although of a very different kind than usual. Where there are typically preparations for the hundreds of thousands of spectators that pour into Washington, DC, to attend the event, this time the focus is on the opposite. The city is discouraging travel because of Covid-19 concerns, and plans are in place to deploy over 20,000 National Guard troops to prevent further unrest. Important landmarks in the city will be locked, and there won’t be crowds on the National Mall, but an installation of 191,500 American flag
Will Stolz was known for many things in Hardin County, whether it was as a sports official, ordained minister or a more than four-decade career in retail.
The Illinois native, friends say, had a deep-rooted passion for the military and first responders that led to creating a community masterpiece every May with a Hooray for Heroes celebration in Radcliff that honors and recognizes active and retired military, military family members and first responders.
What spurred the idea to begin Hooray for Heroes in 2006, Stolz once said was he .âfelt Fort Knox soldiers needed some more recognition.â
So he and Randy Acton developed the idea and it quickly grew into a Radcliff tradition that continued to grow.