After five years of work, the core project to honor veterans from north Lyon County is fully funded.
A recent donation of $2,500 by the St. Patrick’s Committee pushed the North Lyon County Veterans Memorial in Bushong over the top — and longtime organizer Dianne Bedner-Smith over the moon.
Site work has been coinciding with fundraising the last two years. Plaques and plaque stands from Complete Works will be installed soon, and the last sign will also be installed later this year.
The memorial may be in Bushong, but Bedner-Smith says this is a big project for all of north Lyon County.
Bedner-Smith and others are now raising money for several related projects, including a museum, memorial wall and memorial garden near the site of the formal memorial. Upcoming fundraisers — if the current schedule holds — include a fish fry June 20, fifth annual fundraising gathering July 25 and second annual Home of the Brave on Nov. 14.
For more information, call Bedner-Smith at 757-8143 or find the North Lyon County Veterans Memorial Project on Facebook. To donate, contact the Emporia Community Foundation or KansasLand Bank. You can also mail checks to Bedner-Smith, 219 East Third in Bushong, ZIP code 66833, and put NLCVM in the memo line.
