The Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado was established 10 years ago to honor all past and present service personnel who have served our country. Among the numerous features found at the plaza are an amphitheater and stage, a stunning statue entitled “On Strong Shoulders,” a Victory Garden that holds over 200 soil samples from various battle sites, cemeteries, and bases around the world, and two interactive computer monitors with the names of veterans (any veteran who has honorable served may be listed) and the other is educational.
Vietnam Wall at Veterans Plaza
Each year, the Plaza holds an event during the Memorial Day weekend to honor a different group of veterans. This year, as has done twice in the past, the plaza will be bringing in the Traveling Vietnam Wall to honor our Vietnam veterans. This wall is an 80% scale version of the Vietnam Wall found on the Mall in Washington DC.
The Wall will arrive Wednesday afternoon, May 26th by motorcycle escort, assembled, and remain open for viewing until Monday afternoon the 31st. The whole weekend centers around the main event on Sunday the 30th from 10 am to 4 pm. There will be displays, booths of veteran oriented organizations, food vendors, and a field of 500 flags. Sunday’s program includes a color guard, helicopter flyover, local dignitaries, new soil samples added to the victory garden plus unveiling a new statue at 1:30 pm. A color guard, honor guard, prayer, and taps will be nightly from May 27 to 30th at 7:00 pm.
Please make plans to visit the wall and attend the ceremony, as you will find it to be a beautiful and somber experience. The Plaza is located in Spring Canyon Park in west Fort Collins. To get there, simply head westbound on Horsetooth Road to the very end. Visit their website at https://veteransplazanoco.org/ to learn more!