Around 11 a.m. on Dec. 10, 2020, the late Kenny Lyke and I met Orange Fence’s Roy Cuzzocreo and his volunteer crew on the Orange Fairgrounds for a very important project — the planting of Annie Davis’s Memorial Bench.
Annie Davis started the Santa’s Helper fundraising program for the Orange Volunteer Fire Department and she was a founding member of the Orange Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
She passed away unexpectedly on September 24, 2019, and Orange Live began a fundraising effort for a memorial bench.
Her fellow CERT leader, Kenny Lyke stepped in to assist immediately and we raised enough money to cover the cost of the bench and all associated expenses and found the perfect location for it near the “wishing well” on the Orange Fairgrounds.
It warms my heart every time I see someone relaxing on it during a fair, carnival, festival, or even a walk around the track.
We tried, but because of COVID restrictions, we never had an official unveiling for those who donated to the fund.
Annie will never be forgotten, especially around the holidays, for everything she did for the town of Orange.