Memorial panels will be dedicated at 2 p.m. today

Add caption

I stopped at Veterans Memorial Park late Sunday afternoon and found, as you might expect, Linda and Earl Comstock watering the roses, doing a little painting and otherwise getting ready for the dedicatory program there --- scheduled for 2 p.m. today.

All are invited to the program, which will dedicate two 6-foot by 3-foot black granite panels, in the foreground here at the entrance to the "Circle of Life" flag area, that contain the names of approximately 250 Lucas Countyans who have died while in wartime service to their country commencing with the Civil War and continuing through Somalia.

Remembering and honoring these men and women is what Memorial Day is all about, so the timing for the unveiling of these monuments couldn't be better.

Those of you who follow the park's progress know that this is an ongoing project, so won't be expecting a neatly manicured lawn. But visitors will have an opportunity to view the new front gates recently installed by Johnson Machine Works and the recently completed concrete bunkers in which memorial bricks will be deployed.

+++

I had a great afternoon at the cemetery shelter house and enjoyed visiting with everyone who stopped by --- especially with Bill Hart and Karen Pierce, en route from Cedar Rapids to spend Memorial Day with Bill's family in Corydon.

We're also sharing front porch space this year with a pair of nesting swallows who do not seem especially distressed by all the human traffic, but do provide considerable entertainment.

My marching orders for the morning include opening the shelter at 9:30 a.m., so it appears that Karen, Dorothy, Sue and Melody have decided to extend hours. I'm not sure who the afternoon attendants will be, but you'll be welcome to stop in until 4:30 p.m. for lemonade, cookies, a restroom break if one is needed --- or just to sit on the front porch and cool off a little.