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VETERANS DAY LUMINARIA TO BE LIT AT DUSK IN BRONSON PARK
Saturday, November 11, 2017, 06:00pm - 11:00pm
About The Event
VETERANS DAY LUMINARIA TO BE LIT AT DUSK IN BRONSON PARK
KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN – For one night on November 11 from dusk until 11:00 PM, a luminarium in Bronson Park will serve as a glowing tribute to those who have served in the armed forces. Although the luminaria will highlight the WWI centennial, the event will honor all those who have followed in pursuit of peace – veterans of war, veterans of peacetime, civilians who served on the home front, and those in our community today who continue to work toward a peaceful world.
The public is invited to contribute to this event. Luminaria may be customized with name, service details and a brief personalized message for a $5 donation. There is also an option to donate and have the name of a WWI veteran chosen for you from the roster of the 114 young men from Kalamazoo County who gave their lives and the many others who bravely served and returned home. At the evening’s end, 11:00 PM on the 11th day of the 11th month, donors will be invited to take their luminaria home as a lasting reminder. Donations may be made at www.KzooTribute.org.
Elizabeth Kraatz, Commemorative Events Chair of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, notes, “All those who served in WWI have long since left us, but their service should not be forgotten. 2017 is the centennial of the First World War yet there is no national monument in Washington DC to commemorate the “War to End All Wars.” Bronson Park is home to three memorials to the Spanish-American War, but there are no memorials to WWI anywhere in Kalamazoo County. The lack of a proper memorial of WWI is perhaps due to an accident of history. Wars are generally remembered on their milestone anniversaries. Twenty-five years after the end of the First World War, the nation was immersed in the Second World War. Fifty years later, we were fighting in Vietnam. One hundred years later, the construction of a national WWI monument in Washington DC has finally been approved. It is anticipated that the monument will be completed by November 11, 2018.”
All proceeds raised during the luminarium in Bronson Park will benefit the construction of the National WWI Monument in Washington DC and the mission of Talons Out Honor Flight to bring veterans of southwest Michigan to tour the monuments in our nation’s capital.
The luminarium is hosted by the Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Chapter NSDAR, the Ki-Ka-Ma-Sung Society of the Children of the American Revolution and their Junior American Citizens Club, and Talons Out Honor Flight. Luminaria may be donated and personalized at www.KzooTribute.org. Further information is available on FaceBook.com/KzooTribute. Questions may be directed to KzooTribute@gmail.com.
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The Daughters of the American Revolution is the world’s largest women’s service organization. The Children of the American Revolution is the nation’s oldest patriotic youth organization. The Junior American Citizens Club is open to all children who would like to explore their American heritage. Talons Out Honor Flight flies the veterans of southwest Michigan (at no charge) to visit “their” monuments in Washington DC.
Contact : KzooTribute@gmail.com.
Category: Commemoration & Memorial Events, Michigan, Education
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