Battle of Rogers Avenue was much more than a football game between Fort Smith Public School rivals Northside and Southside

As part of the pre-game ceremony, the city of Fort Smith was one of three cities nationally to be awarded as a 2024 Great American Defense Community

FORT SMITH -- The Battle of Rogers Avenue was much more than a football game between Fort Smith Public School rivals Friday night.

"We had lots of things happening," said Michael Beaumont, director of athletics and student activities for Fort Smith Public Schools. "We had lots of dignitaries present. To make all of that happen was a beautiful thing. We thought we would turn it into a patriotic event."

As part of the pre-game ceremony, the city of Fort Smith was one of three cities nationally to be awarded as a 2024 Great American Defense Community by the Association of Defense Communities.

"We are thrilled to celebrate Fort Smith as a 2024 Great American Defense Community," ADC President Karen Holt said in a statement. "The foundation of our military's resilience lies within our communities, and Fort Smith, Arkansas, serves as a prime illustration of how a community can support the mission."

The Fort Chaffee Maneuver Training Center, Ebbing Air National Guard base, and the U.S. Air Force foreign pilot training center for the Department of Defense Foreign Military Sales Program are all located in Fort Smith.

"We had 5,000 flags to hand out to everybody that came in the gate," Beaumont said. "We had a bunch of military families that were present in the end zone during that ceremony."

For the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of the National Anthem, a flag covering 50 yards of the football field was unfurled.

"That was pretty stunning," Beaumont said. "To go from the 25 to the 25, that's not something you see very often at high school football games. Then we had red, white and blue fireworks."

Special permission was also granted for a flyover of F-35 fighter jets to culminate that portion of the pre-game ceremony, which coincides with the Agile Combat Employment exercise Sept. 9-20 at the air base that will deploy eight of the jets to Fort Smith from Florida.

"That's something that doesn't often at a high school game either, and that was part of the community award," Beaumont said. "The Chamber of Commerce was very involved in the planning of all of this. It's difficult to get a flyover to happen. For us to get the American Defense Community award, and then the foreign training center, this is a big boost for Fort Smith. We wanted to celebrate that, and we coupled that with the Battle of Rogers Avenue."

The game coin for the opening toss was also red, white and blue.

Beaumont also enjoyed the pre-game ceremony with his brother, Steven Beaumont, and sister-in-law, Denise Beaumont, conducting the coin toss.

Steven Beaumont is a retired lieutenant colonel, serving almost 21 years as part of the U.S. Signal Corps and overseas deployments in Korea, Hungary and two deployments in Iraq.

In his military career, he received the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Army Superior Unit Award, National Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, the Airborne badge and Air Assault badge.

Denise Beaumont is a retired colonel, serving almost 27 years as part of the U.S. Nursing Corps and overseas combat nurse anesthetist in Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

Her award and decorations include Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, Meritorious Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal. She has earned the Army Combat Action Badge, Army Combat Medic Badge, and the Army Surgeon General's prestigious 9A Proficiency Designator.

"Between them, 48 years of service and five combat tours," Michael Beaumont said. "They've won about every award that the military has to offer. You earn those. I thought I was the most decorated person in my family, but everybody knows my secret now that I am not the most decorated person in my family. It was an honor to have them do the coin toss. That was a special moment for me."

Michael Beaumont's roots to the Fort Smith area goes way back. His mother is a 1965 graduate of the St. Edwards Nursing College in Fort Smith, his father is a 1965 graduate of Westark Community College, now UAFS, and his aunt is a 1965