Work continues by Snoqualmie Valley veterans to create a memorial honoring all local soldiers who fell in the service of their country.
But sales of the commemorative bricks needed to build the memorial have slowed, said Steve Fenton, Commander of the American Legion’s Renton-Pickering Post.
“It has a lot to do with the economy,” Fenton said of declined sales.
1500 pavers are being sold to fund the memorial. Families can purchase the pavers to remember or recognize a veteran or loved one. Each brick contains several lines of text. Each costs $100. Veterans have collected 62 names of fallen servicemen and women, who died in conflicts from World War I through the current Middle Eastern struggle, to be placed on the stone centerpiece.
The grassy, tree-lined plaza will be ringed with 10 flags, including the U.S. and Washington flags, all service branches, and a POW/MIA flag. Benches will provide a place for visitors to reflect.
The memorial is located near the road entrance to the Snoqualmie Post Office, facing the planned new Snoqualmie City Hall across River Street.
The nearby Legion Post, a former Methodist church and one of the oldest buildings in the Valley, has been home to the Legion for 80 years. It is currently the meeting place for both the Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
The new memorial park will be a place to honor all veterans from all Valley communities, Fenton said.
Efforts to promote brick sales slowed down this summer, with the exception of a fundraiser on Armed Forces Day, Aug. 31.
Legion members are hoping that a benefit dinner on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Sno-Valley Eagles Lodge will help boost awareness for the memorial.
Donations for the memorial can be sent to: SVHM-Veterans Memorial, P.O. Box 179, North Bend, WA 98045. An order form can viewed online at www.post79.org.
