Snoqualmie vet’s memorial to be dedicated at 11-11-11-11-11

Members of the Snoqualmie Valley Veteran’s Memorial Committee have been waiting a long time for this moment.

On the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, dignitaries will dedicate the new Snoqualmie Valley Veteran’s Memorial in Snoqualmie.

Congressman Dave Reichert, Washington’s ‘First Husband’ Mike Gregoire, State Rep. Jay Rodne and Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson have been invited to speak at the dedication. Members of the Snoqualmie Tribe will also bless the occasion.

Work is coming down to the wire at the monument site, next to the American Legion Renton-Pickering Post and City Hall.

A legacy tree, a Bloodgood Sycamore, has been planted, and a ring of boulders from around the Valley ring it. As of Tuesday, stone landscaping and the flagpoles were in position. In case the stone monument isn’t finished in time, a mock-up may be put up in its place.

The committee’s effort dates back to 2008, when ground was originally broken at the site. The project stalled due to lack of funds, but volunteers got things moving again in 2010. Donations reached critical mass this spring.

“The whole purpose of the memorial is honor all our vets,” committee member Chris Chartier said, “specifically those who were killed in the line of duty. It’s important to have one place that we can go to visit and honor our veterans.”

Volunteers continue to sell memorial bricks as a fundraiser for the project and as a way to flesh out the paved plaza. Bricks can be inscribed with the name of any loved one who served their country, regardless of whether the Valley was their home. They cost $100.

To order a memorial brick or get involved, call Chris Chartier at (425) 888-9152 or by cell at (425) 802-5174.

To learn more, visit http://www.snoqualmievalleymuseum.org/veterans.html

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