South Carolina spotlight: The Wall That Heals is in Lancaster -- and other news across the state

LANCASTER, S.C. (WBTV) - Businesses in York are staying open until 8 p.m. for Fridays After Five it gives people a chance to enjoy downtown, shop, and support local businesses. In Old Town Rock Hill, First Friday brings live music, art, pop-up markets, food and drink specials.

As Veterans Day approaches, communities host events and ceremonies, giving people a chance to pause, say thank you, and recognize the heroes in the community.

Rock Hill’s annual Tribute to Veterans brought people together at Glencairn Garden to honor those who served and remember the sacrifices made by the men and women in uniform.

For the first time, The Wall That Heals is in Lancaster, it’s a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC — carrying the names of service members from every branch who never made it home.

Site Manager, Rodney Gonsalves, has worked with the memorial for years.

“Remembering what things were like and now being part of this, it’s an honor for us to be traveling around and honoring those Vietnam veterans and their families. It’s an awesome process. I love it,” said Gonsalves.

For some, it’s more than a memorial but a chance to find a name and remember someone they’ve lost. A number of hometown heroes from the region are also being honored. It’s been an emotional experience as families and people from the community have come out and found their names.

It takes crews six to eight hours to assemble the wall and it’s now open around the clock, 24/7, at the Springdale Recreation Complex -- at 260 South Plantation Road in Lancaster, South Carolina.

Public ceremonies are happening through the weekend starting Friday at 6 p.m. There will be closing ceremony Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1:45 p.m. and is free to visit.

Organizers hope seeing the memorial in person will help younger generations understand the history behind it.

“A lot of times we miss some of this in our history books and what a great way for them to visit the wall and actually see it firsthand and understand what the 58,000+ on this wall sacrificed.”

More than, 58,000 names are on the wall, each one representing a life, a family, a story. You can walk along the wall, taking your time reading each of the names and getting to know the history," said Lancaster County’s Director of Veterans Affairs Robin Ghent.