In Memorial: Lone Rock's Commemoration of Their Vets
Sunday, April 29, 2018
Sunday, April 29, 2018
One of my favorite things about Memorial Day is, that it's the first day off work after a long winter, and it's also Springtime, which somehow gravitates Memorial Day to a day of play, as well, rather than a day of remembrance.
I then couldn't help but wonder about my own family, and those in the generations before me that went to war or went into the service for our country. I recognized four generations of men in my genealogy that served our country: Grandpa in World War I, Uncle Bob who died at sea in 1945 during the Japanese theater of World War II, my father, Raymond Wittkopp, who attended West Point during the Korean conflict; and then there's my brother, Robert, who served in the U.S. Army during Vietnam.
I always wanted to design an outstanding memorial in front of my home on Memorial Day for the Vets I knew. I wanted it to be a reminder to passers-by about the value of the holiday and what it cost in American lives. But I had some trouble coming up with a presentation solution, so I put it off until I found an opportunity to make it work.
This year, I joined my local American Legion Auxiliary #383 here in Lone Rock, Wisconsin. Being part of this group gave me an idea. I wondered if these local patriots would be willing to chip in and have their Veteran family member memorialized on a boulevard banner, erected here along our major streets. So instead of erecting a private gallery of my Veteran family members at my house, I shared the idea with others.
Last month, I presented Auxiliary members the design using a mock-up (shown above). They loved the idea! So I went ahead and coordinated the printing of the banners that will be specially fitted to the banner hardware I ordered online. One sample will be made and brought to the installation team here in town so they can do one installation as a test run. Up to 20, double-sided banners will be installed prior to Memorial Day and will remain erected through mid-Summer after Lone Rock's Annual 4th of July Celebration.
I will be posting images here on this page once the banners are up so stay tuned!
The Lone Rock Congregational Community Church Website
Created in 2016
Created in 2016
I have the pleasure of attending a small church in Lone Rock, Wisconsin, that has reached its 150th birthday this year. The site was created in GoDaddy in order to keep the interface as simple as possible so multiple people in the church can help with the updates without much effort. The website serves three purposes: 1) To speak to people in the church about events and other information they would ordinarily find in their weekly bulletin, 2) To speak to people who are looking for a new church home, and 3) To speak to people on the whole Internet about the Statement of Faith. It's interface was designed to capture the essence of being in this little antique church and the warm colors are inviting and friendly. The full church history has a page of its own. Visit the site for a closer look.