Ricketts will Speak at November 11 Veterans Memorial Dedication

Governor Pete Ricketts will visit Holdrege on Veterans Day to help dedicate the new Veterans Memorial. The ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 11, at the memorial site at Veterans Memorial Park (formerly the South Park). The public is invited to attend.

In addition to remarks by Governor Ricketts, the ceremony will also include the singing of the National Anthem by Luke Mills, singing of God Bless the USA by Jeff Cox, Presentation of Colors, Laying of the Wreath, a rifle salute and the official ribbon cutting by the Holdrege Area Chamber of Commerce.

The new Holdrege Veterans Memorial is on the northwest side of the baseball field at Veterans Memorial Park. It is a privately funded collaborative project of Phelps County Community Foundation, Phelps County Development Corporation, Palmer Brothers Granite Co., the Holdrege DAV, and the City of Holdrege.

A committee comprised of veterans and representatives from these organizations led the planning and design of the memorial. That committee includes Committee Co-Chair MAJ. Mark Kraus IV, Lost Way Brewery owner/current active-duty military; Committee Co-Chair Tom Nutt, Phelps County Commissioners and veteran; Doug Young, Mayor of Holdrege; Kara Faber and Coral Weeder, Phelps County Community Foundation; Doug Stevenson, Olsson Associates; Ron Tillery, Phelps County Development Corporation and veteran; Travis Horner, Phelps County Veterans Service Officer and veteran; Dudley Kardell and Dana Carson, Palmer Bros. Granite; and Don Dealy, Founder and veteran.

The City of Holdrege has provided property for the site and will provide ongoing maintenance.

The new memorial is intended to honor local residents and those from Phelps County both living and deceased who have served in the military. Construction on the monument began this spring, and Phase 1 is nearly complete. Palmer Bros. is engraving nearly 500 names of veterans whose names have already been submitted. The five granite slabs in the memorial have space for about 900 names, and more names will be added once a year.

Phase 2 of the veterans memorial will include acquiring a static display of military aircraft or vehicles and installing a patriotic bronze sculpture at the memorial’s entrance. Other park improvements are currently under discussion.

For more information about the Holdrege Veterans Memorial, please visit www.HoldregeVeteransMemorial.com. To donate or add a name, visit www.PhelpsFoundation.org.