Veterans Memorial Plaza Dedication Ceremony at Veterans Park in Spring Hill
The City of Spring Hill invites the public to attend the dedication ceremony of Veterans Memorial Plaza on Saturday, November 11 at 10 a.m. Spring Hill celebrates the completion of the memorial constructed at Veterans Park and looks forward to the dedication event on Veterans Day – to support and remember the veterans to whom the park and memorial is constructed for. The parking lot at Veterans Park is reserved for handicap accessible parking and permitted parking only. Public parking is located at Dayton Creek Elementary School south parking lots, with shuttles taking guests to Veterans Park from 9 to 9:50 a.m., then returning guests back to their cars after the ceremony.
Per City of Spring Hill park rules, Veterans Park will close Friday, November 10 at 10 p.m. Vehicles in the parking lot after 10 p.m. will be towed. Veterans Park will be closed for the event from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. We invite the public to attend the Dedication Ceremony.
Parking
Public parking will be located at the south lots of Dayton Creek Elementary School (DCES), with shuttles available from 9 to 9:45 a.m. for transportation to Veterans Park. Shuttles will pause during the ceremony at 10 a.m. and will promptly resume immediately after its conclusion, providing transportation back to the parking area at DCES until 12:30 p.m.
The lot at Veterans Park is reserved for handicap accessible parking. A disabled parking placard or license plate is required.
Click on the photos below to view the maps:
Schedule
9:00 a.m. – Shuttle for public parking at Dayton Creek Elementary School (DCES) south parking lots to Veterans Park begins continuous route, parking lot at Veterans Park opens for accessible parking
9:50 a.m. – Last shuttle leaves DCES for Veterans Park.
10:00 a.m. – Ceremony begins, shuttle routes pause.
11:00 a.m. – Shuttle routes continue, hot dogs, chips and bottled water served.
12:50 p.m. – Last shuttle leaves Veterans Park to return guests to their cars at DCES.
Ceremony Details
Saturday’s ceremony will begin with the Presentation of the Colors by the American Legion LeRoy Gill Post 19 honor guard. Veterans from Spring Hill will drape a covering on the POW/MIA chair to represent the service members who are unable to fill them because of their sacrifices. The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Scouts, then the Spring Hill High School Brass Quartet will perform the Star-Spangled Banner. Pastor Zach Terrell from Become Church will lead the invocation.
State Representative Adam Thomas will be the ceremony’s emcee, dedicating the memorial and welcoming keynote speaker George Honn, Area Vice Commander East for the Kansas American Legion, and guest speaker Representative Sharice Davids, U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas’s 3rd congressional district. The Spring Hill High School String Quintet will also perform a patriotic song.
To honor fallen soldiers, members of the American Legion Cole-Smith Post 350 will place a wreath at the memorial, followed by a moment of silence and a rifle volley from the American Legion Post 19 Honor Guard. Johnson County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Jeremy Harding will play Taps on the bugle.
Before the ceremony, we invite guests to write the name or names of beloved veterans on paper dog tags, which are placed on flags in the memorial’s flower beds. The inscription of names filling the flower beds is a visual reminder of the great impact our service members have on our nation. The event is entirely free to attend, and following the ceremony, all are invited to stay for a reception offering hot dogs, chips, and bottled water.
Veterans Memorial Plaza at Veterans Park
Veterans Park is Spring Hill’s newest park, which was named in 2016 and opened on July 4, 2020. Plans for a memorial design and funding started in 2018, with construction completing in early fall 2023. The City of Spring Hill recognizes donors of the Knaebel Family Foundation, W.R. & Floy A. Sauey Foundation, Mid-Am Building Supply, Spring Hill Rotary, and Rausch Coleman Homes for the contributions that were instrumental in the memorial’s completion.
The City of Spring Hill hopes that Veterans Park and Veterans Memorial Plaza inspires future generations to remember the price of freedom and regularly exercise reverence to those who defend our liberty.
Distinguished guests
Keynote speaker George Honn joined the United States Army in September 1979. He spent an eight-year career in the Navy stationed in San Diego, Millington, TN, Oceana, VA, Key West, FL, and Point Magu, CA. After completing service in the Navy, Honn worked at what is now called Cardinal Glass for more than 33 years in Spring Hill. Honn joined the American Legion Riders Chapter 156 in 2008 where he has held several leadership positions with the and Post and Post Riders, local legion post, and legion district. He currently serves as the Area East Vice Commander for the State of Kansas. Additionally, Honn is a board member of F.I.S.H. (Friends In Service of Heroes).
Guest speaker Representative Sharice Davids was raised by a single mother who served in the Army for 20 years. After graduating from Leavenworth High School, she worked her way through Johnson County Community College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City before earning a law degree from Cornell Law School. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Kansas’s Third Congressional District and took office in January 2019. When she was sworn into the 116th Congress, Rep. Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress.
Kansas State Representative Adam Thomas will serve as the ceremony’s emcee. Rep. Thomas lived in Kansas as a child, then chose Kansas to be his permanent home to raise a family in 2011. He was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives for District 26 in 2019. Rep. Thomas continues to serve in the state legislature, where he says that it is an honor to represent his district and he does not take his responsibility lightly. “It is an even higher honor to be here, honoring those who sacrificed so much for our freedom. Having many friends who have served, any chance to show gratitude and respect for the men and women in uniform is a chance I take seriously. Thank you all who serve our country so proudly!” says Rep. Thomas.
