Veterans Memorial Pathway
Veteran's Day Program Novemver 11, 2010
Color Guard Fla.Youth Challenge Academy from Camp Blanding.
The Laying of the wreath by Comander Bud King American Legion and President Ann Horner, Ladies Auxilary
Joan Jones and Mayor Mary Lou Hildreth. the Mayor gave a brief speach.
Our Main Speaker was Noal Thomas. LTCOL. US ARMY Retired
Garden Club Members working Beth Bisson, Ursula Wida, Carrie Milligan, Elsie Mills 2nd row Cheryl King, Bud King, Joan Valentine, President Jackie Host
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Contact Joan 352-473-5450 or 904-472-7191 OR Elsie at 352-473-9545 for the forms or any other information you might need. We will have the Kiosk board up in the cemetery -pathway area very soon and you will be able to pick up brick forms there also at City Hall on Lawrence Blvd, KH.
DEADLINE - all brick orders must be into us by May 25, 2011 to be eligible for the July 4, 2011 ceremony. Please get these to us ASAP, thank you.
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Veteran's Memorial Pathway History
This is how our pathway looked in the begining. Sure has improved over the years.
This project was a 'dream come true' for our past president Joan Jones In November 2004 she woke up from a deep sleep with this dream on her mind, something she had been wanting to do for 58+ years since arriving in the USA from her homeland, Australia as a WWII War Bride to thank the US service personnel for them saving her country from enemy invasion. After staying awake the rest of the night, she drew plans for this memorial she thought of, she got the plans drawn, next went to the Garden Club of the Lakes (she was president at that time) got their interest, then off to the City council meeting where after showing her plans for this memorial, they voted 100% to let her do it. They gave her a small area in the Keystone Heights cemetery to do this project for the Veterans.
The project is called "Buy a Brick for a Vet", for a $35 donation an engraved brick can be made for veterans, with their name, rank, dates etc, after it is returned from the engraver it is put into the pathway at a ceremony on either July 4th or Veterans Day, November 11th annually. This project has been an ongoing one for 5 years with 600 bricks in the pathway, under the benches and in front of the large granite monument.
We are very proud of our Pathway, our memorial ceremonies twice annually
are military, school children singing patriotic songs, laying of a wreath and a minute of silence for our Veterans, we also have an invocation by a local minister/preacher also the reading of the names of the new bricks going into the pathway, speeches by military, city, county or local participants. We have always had a re-enactment, and a WWII aircraft fly-over which most of the audience look forward too.
For brick information contact Joan at 352-473-5450 or 904-472-7191 OR Elsie
at 352-473-9545