BEVERLY, MA — There will be tanks. There will be bomb trucks. There will be drones.
There will be battle reenactments, axe throwing and muskets fired.
There will even be lizards.
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Beverly Veterans Services Agent David Perinchief is starting big with the first-ever Beverly Warrior Weekend.
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And he is hoping the two-day military celebration and service event will only get bigger in years to come.
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“It’s exciting,” Perinchief told Patch on Wednesday as he locked down more apparatus and showcases confirmed for the May 20 and May 21 “mini-Fleet Week” at Beverly High School. “A lot of people are looking forward to this event. Hopefully, we will get a lot of veterans down there.”
The goal of the event is three-fold — to provide a one-stop location for veterans from the North Shore and beyond to find out about benefit eligibility and support options, to give a glimpse into military life for young people interested in potentially serving, and to bring a fun and entertaining festival to Beverly that Perinchief said he hopes will build off this year’s inaugural event.
“For the first year, it’s starting the initial phases of making Beverly a centralized location in the Essex region for this type of event,” Perinchief said. “The hope as we continue to build it is to attract more city vendors, bring in the skydive teams and more events to generate more people coming year after year.
“The goal over the next five years is to get more people traveling to Beverly for the event so we can benefit more veterans in the region and benefit more families.”
The list of assets on their way is impressive. Perinchief said he has confirmed a branded semi-truck and trailer, a U.S. Coast Guard boat and interactive trailer, rescue drones, a bomb truck, and Sherman and Chappie tanks.
“There is going to be a lot of active military equipment around in the city,” he said. “We don’t want people freaking out if they see that.”
Also planned are historic weapons displays from Bakers Company, the 3-5-0 Girls Tribute to women’s contributions to World War II, the Bayonet Division Korean War Living History Group and the Wilmington Company of Minutemen demonstration of Revolutionary War weapons and cooking history.
There will also be axe-throwing contests for those 18-plus, the Rain Forest Reptiles show, combat sports demonstrations, and a high school ROTC competition.
All events will take place on the grounds at Beverly High School with free parking available at the Cummings Center at Balch Street.
While all the military show and tell is designed to bring in the crowds and entertain, there will also be plenty of veterans services to help those who have served their country.
“VA resources will be there signing people up for some of their important programs,” Perinchief said. “They have elderly resources for those who have trouble driving and do not have vehicles. So they will be there registering them for TeleHealth, verifying who they are on site, and that makes them eligible for remote appointments.”
Perinchief said those who served at Camp Lejeune and their relatives will be able to find out more about federal benefits — such as property tax waivers — for both those who served and for family members of those who may have passed away when it comes to the new PACT Act eligibility.
He added that veterans who served in the time of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, like himself, can register with the VA so they will be in line for support and services if medical issues develop in the future.
“Once the VA has them in the system it becomes a lot easier for them to get disability and health care coverage,” he said.
The Warrior Weekend will also provide those interested in a different path upon graduating from high school that comes with long-term benefits a chance to explore those options with family members present.
“This will eliminate the misunderstandings and misconceptions about military service,” he said. “If a kid is thinking of joining, adults can ask the questions and get the answers from the resource right there.
“Knowledge is power and we are going to have the resources there for people to learn.”
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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