Sky City to honor military veterans

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

PUEBLO OF ACOMA — On Nov. 10 Sky City Casino Hotel will present a special — free and open to the public — musical tribute to veterans honoring Veterans Day which is Nov. 11.

Keller Coker, a music professor from Oregon, and the orchestra leader who has presented the concert the past two years, said he concert will perform tributes to each of the United States Armed Forces as well as three female singers who will do a special Andrew Sisters medley.

“This is something we’ve done for a number of years,” Sky City spokesman Phil Robertson said. “We try to honor the veterans of all the military branches.”

The concert will be in the large showroom in the casino, doors will open at 6 p.m., with the concert beginning at 7 p.m., Robertson said.

“The orchestra will perform music from all the war eras,” Coker said, “including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm.

“We want to honor and recognize those veterans and family members of veterans who may be present and who have participated in the different conflicts over the last 100 years,” Coker said.

The orchestra will musically salute the branches by playing music associated with the different services including the servicehymns.

“The orchestra will also perform ‘You’re A Grand Ole’ Flag,’ for World War I veterans and families; ‘In the Mood,’ for World War II; and to salute the Korean War, three female singers will dress in appropriate costumes to sing a medley of Andrews Sisters’ songs, including ‘Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,’” Coker said.

For Vietnam era veterans and families to honor the 1960s, the orchestra and singers will perform Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful Life,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain.”

The Order of the Thistle Pipes and Drums from Albuquerque will perform traditional military bagpipe music, Robertson said. Vincent Craig, a well-known Native American storyteller, will also be a part of the concert.

“Many of the musicians who will be performing in the orchestra are veterans themselves,” Coker said.

A Johnny Cash impersonator, Vic Fatale, will perform some of Cash’s music during the concert.