City pays tribute to veterans and service members, dedicates new monument

Press release from City of Gainesville

The City of Gainesville and the Evergreen Cemetery Association of Gainesville, Inc. will honor military veterans and service members, beginning with the placing of American flags at veterans’ graves. Neighbors are invited to participate.

When: 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6
Where: City’s Evergreen Cemetery, 401 SE 21st Ave. 

This year, the City’s annual Veterans Day ceremony will include the dedication of a new Veterans Monument with artwork by James Dinh.

When: 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 11
Where: City’s Evergreen Cemetery, 401 SE 21st Ave.

The event will feature the presentation of colors by the Milton Lewis Young Marines; and remarks by World War II Historian George E. Cressman, Jr.; Mayor Lauren Poe; and the artist.

The Veterans Monument stands at the foot of a new Veterans Yard that will be reserved for the interment of veterans and spouses, and is a project of the Evergreen Cemetery Association of Gainesville, Inc.; the City of Gainesville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department; and Gainesville Art in Public Places Trust. It is funded through private donations.

Evergreen Cemetery is the final resting place of 1,100 area veterans who served in every conflict from the second Seminole War (1835-1842) through recent engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. Established in 1856, the City acquired the 53-acre cemetery in 1944.

To help ensure public health and safety, neighbors are asked to practice social distancing at the event.