The Villages Daily Sun

THE VILLAGES — Presidential candidate Mitt Romney will be in The Villages on Wednesday afternoon for a patriotic barbecue.

Singer Lee Greenwood, known for the classic song “God Bless the U.S.A.,” will perform as part of the event at Lake Sumter Landing Market Square.

“Mitt is eager to get down to The Villages again. We were surprised at the amount of people who turned out last time,” said Kristy Campbell, the Florida coordinator for Romney’s campaign.

Romney held a town-hall-style meeting in The Villages in February, in the same week he declared his desire to seek the Republican nomination for the White House.

“Mitt will talk about moving forward with our country and the fact that he shares the same conservative values as Villagers,” Campbell said.

The event kicks off at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Those attending can purchase $1 hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas and draft beer. Serving will end at 5:30 p.m.

At 4:30 p.m. Greenwood will take the stage.

Romney is scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m.

Villagers cannot bring chairs to the event because of security.

Wednesday will be a busy day for the Romney campaign. He begins with a breakfast in Orlando, has a lunch event in Miami and will then come to The Villages.

Romney, the son of George Romney, who served as governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 until January 2007.

Prior to being elected governor, Romney served as CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and prior to that he had an extensive career in business. In 1984, Romney founded Bain Capital, an investment company that helped finance Staples, Domino’s Pizza and Brookstone. He then became interim CEO at Bain and Co., the consulting firm where he had worked in the early 1980s. He was credited with pulling Bain and Co. out of financial straits.

Romney and his wife Ann, whom he married in 1968, have five sons and 10 grandchildren.

Romney received a degree from Brigham Young University in 1971. In 1975, he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was named a Baker Scholar, and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Meta Minton is a managing editor with the Daily Sun and may be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9332, or at meta.minton@thevillagesmedia.com.