KENDALLVILLE – The heartfelt singing of the national anthem was punctuated by the firing of a replica Civil War cannon, eliciting startled gasps, during the Military Appreciation Party and Freedom Rally on Saturday.
The rally, in its seventh year, began as a welcome-home celebration for members of the Indiana National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 293rd Infantry Regiment, and has grown into an annual recognition of the men and women who have served their country.
“It’s just a really important thing we need to be doing,” said Rick Stephens, organizer of the event.
“It makes me feel good to be at one of these.”
The American Legion Riders and Patriot Guard Riders participated in this year’s rally, which also included a performance by the Auburn Community Band and music by bagpipers from the Fort Wayne police and fire departments.
Stephens said most of the volunteer effort for the annual event is performed by veterans, including Tim Gaby, 49, of Wawaka, who served in Afghanistan along with his cannon-firing assistant, Brian Golden, 27, of Kendallville.
Gaby’s cannon, which he said he and his father – a Civil War re-enactor – bought about 15 years ago, is a replica mountain Howitzer, which is a compact cannon designed especially for fighting in rugged terrain.
“So they had to keep it short and light for guys to move it,” Gaby said.
While a band played patriotic tunes, Stephens, dressed in an immaculate suit, changed the program on the fly, such as when windy weather forced the cancellation of a flyover by Parkview Hospital’s Samaritan helicopter and balloon rides.
Despite the changes, Gaby intended to fire each of the rounds – black powder wrapped in aluminum foil – he had prepared.
“We brought six rounds, we’re going to fire six rounds,” Gaby said after he and Golden received the order from Stephens to fire three more rounds.
The men fired the rounds, and each time the cannon belched, fire and smoke poured from the hole in which they place the striker, or a pin that serves like a match.
Gaby confessed he doesn’t wear ear plugs when he fires his cannon.
“I don’t, but I should,” he said.
When asked what cannon fire adds to a patriotic event like Saturday’s rally, Gaby said the audience likes it.
“It pleases the crowd,” he said. “You know, another bang.”
