Tri-City Veterans hold 4th annual Pop Barnes Veterans Day Cookout

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - The Tri-City Veterans organization held its 4th annual Pop Barnes Veterans Day Cookout on Friday at Cascade Hills Park.Retired service members attended the event and were honored. Several organizations set up as vendors to offer services to the veterans who attended. The event came less than a week before Veterans Day, which falls in the middle of next week. One in 10 Columbus residents are veterans.Event named for longtime councilmanThe cookout is named for longtime Columbus City Councilman Pop Barnes, who served on the City Council for 20 years and was a big part of Tri-City Veterans.Barnes’ daughter, Simi Barnes, is the Columbus District 1 councilwoman. She said she enjoys seeing her father’s legacy honored along with other veterans.“Well it makes my heart feel really warm again, they have sacrificed themselves, some of them you know some veterans have sacrificed their literal lives to protect our freedoms. So it makes me feel really really good. It’s an honor