Prayer Brunch

The Prayer Brunch, presented by Knouse Foods, will be held Friday, May 3rd, 9:30 am - 11:00 am. Come join the enthusiastic crowd that gathers to “Bless the Bloom”! This interdenominational event has been a dynamic success with each Festival year since 2000…welcoming past guest speakers Robert Urich, Ruth Graham McIntyre, Lisa “Blair” Welchel, Kirk Cameron, Truitt Cathy - Founder of Chic-Fil-A®, Ray & Cal Thomas, Candice Smithyman, Kelly Wright, and Lauren Green.

State and local dignitaries will join us with appearances by Festival celebrities and Queen Shenandoah designate. Host for the Festival Prayer Brunch is Fellowship Bible Church - 3217 State Route 628 inWinchester.

This year's Speaker is Vietnam War veteran, Eugene B. “Red” McDaniel, Captain, U. S. Navy [Retired], an authentic American hero, a great patriot, and a man of deep religious convictions, will serve as the keynote speaker at this beautiful, thoughtful and soul-satisfying Festival event.

On May 19, 1967, while on his 81st combat mission over North Vietnam, Eugene B. “Red” McDaniel was shot down while flying his A-6 Intruder aircraft. He was listed as “missing in action” until 1970, when the Hanoi government acknowledged that he was being held prisoner. A POW for six years, McDaniel was released March 4th, 1973, after the Vietnam cease-fire. Red McDaniel was one of the most brutally tortured prisoners of the Vietnam War. This torture resulted from his active role in camp communications during an organized escape attempt by his fellow prisoners. He is the author of Scars and Stripes, a book telling about his six years in a communist prison. When Red McDaniel returned home from Vietnam, he was awarded the Navy’s highest award for bravery, the Navy Cross. Among his other military decorations are two Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit with Combat “V”, the Distinguished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars with Combat “V”, and two Purple Hearts for wounds received at the hands of his North Vietnamese torturers.

Upon his return, Captain McDaniel resumed active duty and served as Commanding Officer of the USS Niagara Falls; and, as Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington. He also served as Director of the Navy/Marine Corps Liaison to the U.S. House of Representatives before retiring from the Navy in 1982. Following retirement, Captain McDaniel founded the American Defense Institute, a non-profit organization to increase public awareness of the need for a strong national defense. Captain McDaniel and his wife Dorothy reside in Alexandria, Virginia. They have three grown children, nine grandchildren, and one great-grandson.

Of his experience as a prisoner of the North Vietnamese for six years, Commander McDaniel says: "Even in my darkest moments, I never lost faith in my God, my country, and my family. It was this faith that sustained me during those long and difficult years. God was with us in Hanoi; and, I learned to trust Him. I learned early in the game not to ask God to perform great miracles; or, to serve as a way of mental "escape;" but, I learned to ask Him for patience and for the necessary strength to meet each day. I found God adequate to supply that patience and strength. I thank God for sustaining me and my fellow POW's. Now I pray that I shall never forget to praise Him and that I shall have the courage to seek His will for my life.”

Include a refreshing, inspirational dimension to your “Bloom Weekend!” Join us at the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® Prayer Brunch presented by Knouse Foods/Musselman’s and sponsored by Schenck Foods, The Willows At Meadow Branch, The Cross 103.3 FM, and Chick-fil-A.

Tickets Cost: $22.00 ea.

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