The Florence Veterans Park is taking shape with monuments and landscaping as it gears up for an opening ceremony fittingly scheduled for Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
“(The park) is truly unlike anything we have in the city,” said Rick Walden, Florence Veterans Park Committee chairman. “It is truly becoming the highlight of Florence.”
The park officially will be dedicated during the November ceremony, which will feature speaker Charles F. Bolden Jr., a Columbia native and retired Marine major general who flew on four space shuttle missions during the 1980s, said Barry Wingard, opening-day event chairman.
When completed, the park off Woody Jones Boulevard will feature an amphitheater, a Wall of Honor, benches, trees and other landscaping. It also will tie into the city’s trails system via a crosswalk over the boulevard.
The park, which honors the people who have served in all branches of the U.S. military since 1900, will provide “a legacy” for veterans and the families of veterans, Walden said.
“It really shows the appreciation for their service to this country,” Walden said.
The park will be worth $4 million, including the $900,000 land donation for the site. It will be financed mostly through the city’s hospitality tax collections.
The park committee has received about 100 names of veterans to place on its Wall of Honor, which will serve to recognize and memorialize those who have served in the military, Walden said.
Landscapers have added shrubbery, and an entry-way monument is in place as construction continues, Walden said.
In addition, a bronze eagle sculpture by Alex Palkovich of Florence is complete, Walden said, and will be perched atop a towering monument with six sides — one for each branch of the military — and a roughly four-foot-wide open space in the middle. A light will illuminate the eagle sculpture at night.
The park committee also aims to involve children and youths in the opening-day ceremony as well as through year-round educational opportunities, Walden said.
“The idea is to really highlight patriotism among young people,” he said.
The park also is seeking corporate sponsors. For more details, call Walden at (843) 665-3045 or park committee co-chairman Tom Marschel at (843) 665-0515.
Wall of Honor
Tiles on the Florence Veteran’s Park Wall of Honor are for sale in honor or memory of veterans. The 4-by-9-inch tiles cost $250 to $325 each, and proceeds will be used in building the park.
To buy a memorial, call the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce at (843) 665-0515 or Brown Memorials at (843) 662-6378.
— From staff reports
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