PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — A plaque to fallen servicemen and women will be dedicated Saturday in Peoria Heights.
Tower Park, Peoria Heights, Ill. | Photo http://www.americasgoldstarfamilies.org
The Gold Star memorial in Tower Park is sponsored by the Peoria Garden Club and America’s Gold Star Families — an organization founded by Peorian Patti Smith.
The (Peoria) Journal Star reports (http://bit.ly/2aNF6y1 ) that water in the Tower Park foundation will be colored gold. The keynote speaker will be Andrea Little. She’s chairwoman of the National Garden Club Blue Star Memorial Marker.
The national organization has recently started installing the Gold Star memorials. The one in Tower Park is the first in Illinois and only the 8th nationally.
Smith formed America’s Gold Star Families in 2013. She has two sons who served in the Iraq war.
Associated Press
