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Workers with Tim Rustad Construction lay concrete for the veterans memorial at Leon H. Moore Park in Pipestone on Tuesday morning, Oct. 7. Tablets and stones for the memorial have been ordered and are expected to be ready late this year and installed next year.
Photo by Kyle Kuphal
After years of effort, a veterans memorial is beginning to take shape in Pipestone.
Ground was broken at Leon H. Moore Park on Monday, Oct. 6 and workers with Tim Rustad Construction started pouring concrete on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The concrete work included the eye-shaped memorial area and a sidewalk leading from the street to the memorial.
Veterans Memorial Committee Chair Cristy Appel said the committee reached its first goal of raising over $175,000 and part of that goal included laying concrete and ordering the black granite tablets and stones. She said the tablets and stones have been ordered and are expected to be ready by November or December.
Appel said the committee already has the Sioux quartzite bases that the stones will sit on and those are expected to be installed yet this fall. Next spring, the plan is to install the MIA and POW stones, the tablets with the names of local veterans on them and an arch that will say “Pipestone Veterans Memorial” on it.
The next goal is to raise another $175,000 that will be used for phase two of the project, which Appel said includes flags, flag poles, lighting and landscaping. The ultimate goal is to raise $500,000 for the memorial.
To help with that effort, a veterans memorial gala fundraiser is planned for Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Pipestone Country Club. Tickets are available for $60 per person or $100 per couple. The gala will include a meal with a choice of New York strip or chicken breast, ceremony, speaker, silent auction and dance. The event begins with a social hour at 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from the Pipestone Area Chamber of Commerce, Veterans Services Office or by contacting Appel at 507-215-1738.