A decade after its creation, the Bud and Dorie Day Patriots’ Trail in Fort Walton Beach is getting a spring cleaning as part of a 10th anniversary celebration.
- The Emerald Coast Exchange Club will lead volunteers in sprucing up the trail Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to noon, serving as a prelude to the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce’s three-day tribute to Vietnam veterans the following week.
“We had a call from a gentleman who walks the Bud and Dorie Day Trail everyday and loves it, but said it’s looking a little tired,” said Ted Corcoran, CEO of the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce.
The cleanup will focus on the southwest section of the trail stretching from California Drive to Oregon Drive near Ferry Park. Volunteers will meet at the Exchange Club “base camp” gazebo at 36 Iowa Drive NE for check-in and refreshments.
Participants will pressure wash sidewalks, hand wash the 16 historical markers, rake leaves and perform general maintenance tasks. All supplies will be provided.
- “They’re looking for more volunteers,” Corcoran said. “For a couple of hours, people go in there, just clean off the sidewalks and clean off the signs and take an inventory of what needs to be repaired.”
The trail is named in honor of Vietnam War hero Col. Bud Day, who died in July 2013 at age 88, and his wife Dorie. It winds down Staff Drive, Nebraska Avenue and California Drive, featuring informational markers that highlight their life together.
“The first thing that’s most magical is more people would’ve read about Bud and Dory Day by walking that trail and stopping by and seeing those signs than if they went on Wikipedia,” Corcoran said.
Day’s military career spanned three wars — World War II, Korea and Vietnam — making him one of the most decorated service members in American history, according to Corcoran. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor among numerous other decorations.
The trail began as a community initiative following Day’s death.
- “When Bud Day passed away, the community said, ‘What should we do?'” Corcoran said. “Cissy Weininger from the Fort Walton Beach Women’s Club came in and said, ‘I think we need to have a walk in honor of Bud and Dorie Day.'”
The trail cleanup holds special significance as Dorie Day passed away within the last six months, Corcoran noted.
David Lambert of the Emerald Coast Exchange Club is coordinating the effort, which intentionally precedes the Chamber’s April 28-30 tribute to Vietnam veterans.
- “It ties in nicely since Colonel Bud Day was a POW. Arguably that was his most famous military service, in the Vietnam War,” Corcoran said.
Overflow parking will be available at 123 Staff Drive, requiring a quarter-mile walk to the Iowa Drive meeting location.
The Day family has expressed appreciation for the trail as a way to educate the public about both Bud and Dorie’s contributions.
“The kids, the sons and daughters, when they have talked about it, they said, ‘It’s absolutely perfect because they get a chance to learn about my mom and dad and what her mom did to help the POWs get back,'” Corcoran said.
Those interested in volunteering can contact David Lambert at dlambert20@cox.net or 850-582-7176.
