Nearly 70 garden club members, visitors, and residents gathered at the Bicentennial Memorial Garden in Parkdale on Sunday, Oct. 10 to dedicate a Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker near the garden’s flagpole.
The Blue Star Memorial Highway Program was adopted in 1946 by the National Council of State Garden Clubs to honor service men and women. The project was named for the Blue Star in the service flag which hung in windows of homes and businesses to honor service men and women. The By-Way Marker was later adopted to allow its placement in areas such as parks, civic, and historical grounds. The National Garden Club, Inc., the members of the Parkdale Garden Club, and private donations provided this marker at the Memorial Garden to pay tribute to our Armed Forces.
As stated during the dedication ceremony, “While we go about our daily lives or while we sleep, the men and women in our Armed Forces fly our skies, sail our seas, and guard our shores, ensuring our safety. They stand ready at a moment’s notice to defend our country. We must not forget them, and we do not! We remember with every step of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We remember with every drumbeat on the Fourth of July. When we Pledge Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, we remember. At the sound of Reveille, we remember, and as the last lingering note of Taps resounds in the distance, we remember.”
Kathy Hannen-Smith and Kristina Friberg, Parkdale Garden Club co-presidents, officiated during the dedication ceremony. Distinguished guests included Cheryl Drumheller, president Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs and Laurel Buncak, Oregon State Blue Star Marker chair.
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