From 4 to 6 p.m. 60s band Soul Purpose will perform followed by the Paris Dancers. At 7:30 p.m. the dedication will begin with guest speakers to be named later. Between 8:15 and 8:30 p.m., the eternal flame which will rest at the top of the memorial, will be lit.
The memorial is dedicated to veterans of all wars and is located in the front of City Hall on Oak Road. The memorial features a “Wall of Veterans,” an eternal flame and a waterfall.
The monument has been funded through donations and the sale of bricks which will feature the names of those who have served our country.
Witts announced the plan to relight the city’s eternal flame in November 2011 after it was extinguished on the Vietnam Memorial when it was moved to the site of the current City Hall in 2005. The flame had burned at the previous City Hall since 1985.
“This day has been a long-time coming,” said Mayor Pro Tem Tom Witts who led the effort to build the memorial. “It was a lot of work, donations and contributions.”
A Christmas ornament commemorating the dedication of the Veterans Memorial will be on sale at the event.
There are plans to have another ceremony at the memorial on May 26, Memorial Day. Those plans will be revealed at dedication ceremony, Witts said.
