Alabama’s American Village perfect place for Memorial Day, other commemorations
When considering where to take in a Memorial Day celebration, American Village near Montevallo may not be the obvious choice, but its programming, geography and observances make it a perfect place to commemorate our country’s fallen.
“Honoring veterans is one of our goals here at American Village,” said Alan Miller, CEO of American Village. “Every Memorial Day we will have a service in our Colonial Chapel and then we’ll have an opportunity for our guests to come outside and gather around the Veterans Shrine, where they’ll have an opportunity to place a flag and a wreath. For those who have lost a friend or family member in service to the country, there’s an important opportunity to ring the bell next to our Statue of Liberty and call that person’s name. As long as we’re telling their stories and calling their names, they’re never forgotten, so I think that’s important.”
American Village is itself all about remembrance with an eye on educating and passing on the principles of the country’s founding fathers.
“It’s the only campus I’m aware of where our focus is on schoolchildren, K-12 programming. We bring them here and, as much as we possibly can, we try to put them in the shoes of the founding fathers,” Miller said. “It is a very thorough introduction to the principles that helped found this country and should be informing them with regard to who they are as American citizens. What does it mean to say I’m an American? And if you’re not looking all the way back to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, you’re missing the mark, and those really should be the things that unite us.”
American Village has 188 acres where it has created Colonial villages, structures and spaces reminiscent of the time when the nation was born. Re-enactors in full dress from the times help tell the stories many of us barely recall from history books.
“I travel all over the state telling people about American Village, but the words just never do it justice,” Miller said. “You don’t realize how incredible this effort has been until your feet are on the ground and you’re experiencing these historic vignettes and you’re actually seeing this – the really beautiful architecture in all of these replica buildings. It is worth the trip even if you don’t do anything but walk the campus and see the grounds. But our preference is that people will engage in some of the educational programming that we have here.”
Next up is the opening of the new Independence Hall that is going to allow American Village to bring education on the U.S. Constitution to high school students.
“It’s going to be a really exciting addition to the campus. We have an opportunity on the second floor to shift our focus,” Miller said. “For our high school students, we’re going to be shifting our focus to the Constitution, because as they graduate high school and they get ready to go out into the world and engage as responsible United States citizens, we want them to know why their government is structured the way it is.
“It will also give us an opportunity to expand over the next two or three years,” Miller added. “You know, on any given day during the school year, we’ll have 300 students on campus. But I think we will be able to triple or even quadruple that number with the addition of Independence Hall and the new programming. So it’s super exciting times for us.”
While the programming can hit home, so, too, can the geography. American Village is next door to the 479-acre Alabama National Cemetery, where thousands of former service members and their loved ones are buried.
“We’ve got a great relationship with the National Cemetery Support Committee,” Miller said. “You know, just recently we got word that there was a veteran being laid to rest there who would not have family present. It just started with an email to staff saying, ‘Hey. If you have an opportunity to break away from what you’re doing and go honor this veteran, please do. That turned into a Facebook post, and we had just a wonderful turnout and citizens throughout Shelby County and around the region who came to pay tribute to that veteran.”
Miller said he likes to think those buried there would also appreciate their final resting place being next to American Village.
“I think every veteran who is laid to rest there would love the fact that we’re their next-door neighbor and the mission that we have to really set children’s hearts on fire for the blessings that they have in this country,” he said.
Miller knows better than most about the sacrifice of service. He will retire as a colonel from the Marine Corps Reserve later this year.
“I’m about to hit 30 years of commissioned service in the Marine Corps Reserve,” he said. “I can tell you without question that the Marine Corps has been one of the biggest blessings in my life. My life would have been completely different without it, and just the honor of serving such a great nation. But also, the quality of the men and the women that you encounter, not just in the Marine Corps, but in every branch. I mean, these people are serving for all the right reasons. It’s just been an incredible privilege to serve alongside of them for such a long time.”
While Memorial Day is special at American Village, it’s one of many special commemorations planned this year into next year, which will be America’s 250th birthday.
“On April 18th it was the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride. We had a great ceremony here that symbolized the passing of the torch, so to speak, from our founders to the children of today who represent our future,” Miller said.
On April 19, a re-enactment of the Battle of Concord was attended by Maj. Gen. David Pritchett, the Alabama National Guard adjutant general.
“That battle occurred before there was a U.S. Army, and so we really wanted to use that day to honor the men and women of Alabama’s National Guard who, you know, they are the true citizen soldiers,” Miller said.
A full schedule of Memorial Day events at American Village can be found here. Other American Village events can be found here.
American Village is also serving as the Celebration Capital for Alabama’s celebration of America’s 250th. You can find more information on the state’s events at this website.
After Memorial Day will be the U.S. Army 250th birthday in June, followed by the U.S. Navy‘s 250th birthday in October. The U.S. Marine Corps turns 250 in November. Those are the 250th anniversary celebrations in 2025 before the big year of 2026.
And while the Fourth of July is synonymous with the beach for many, Miller said everyone should experience an Independence Day celebration at American Village at least once in their lives.
“I tell everybody all the time, ‘I don’t care where you’ve been for Independence Day, there is no better place to be than American Village,’” Miller said. “We’ve got some additions this year, but next year for America’s 250th, we’ll definitely be going above and beyond, so I I’ll keep all that sort of close to the vest for now.”
But before all of that is Memorial Day.
“You know, it’s an important day for us to stop and remember our brothers and sisters who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom,” Miller said. “And for our citizens, I think it’s an important opportunity for them to pause and think. Not just about the fact that they have a right to ask important questions anytime we send our fellow Americans into harm’s way, but truly, a responsibility. Where are they going? How long are they going to be there? What is it that’s expected for them to accomplish while they’re there? And then how long should we expect this to last? And I truly believe that this system, the system that we’ve set up, does not work without an informed and engaged citizenry. I truly believe that asking those questions, being informed, staying engaged, honors our veterans and our fallen far more than any celebration or parade that we could put on.”