HARTINGTON, Neb. (KCAU) — After the completion of a veterans memorial that took more than three years to complete in Hartington, the community is ready to dedicate the new memorial.

Work on the Hartington Area Veteran’s Memorial started in 2019 when veterinarians Drs. Ben and Erin Schroeder donated a downtown parcel of land to Hartington veteran organizations. According to a release from the Hartington Veterans Memorial organization, the donation was under the condition a Veterans Memorial would be built on the land. The American Legion, the VFW, and the AMVETS met and gladly accepted the land.

The memorial is located at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and State Street, across the street from the Historic Hartington Hotel. The memorial will be lit up till 11 p.m. each evening to allow nighttime visitations.

The monument will have the name of 1060 veterans engraved on the six large monuments.

Dan Kathol, the project chairman and a veteran, said the location for the memorial could not be better.

“It fills a prime lot in downtown Hartington that sat empty for over 30 years and would now fill a longtime dream of the local veterans to see a veterans memorial built in Hartington,” Kathol said. “The memorial will become a constant reminder to people that walk or drive by the memorial of our veterans and their service to our country, and an open invitation to visit the memorial not only once but many times to reflect on those men and women who unselfishly risked their life so that we can enjoy our freedom and way of life.”

Plainview Monument Company out of Plainview supplied the monuments and helped design the veterans monument.

A dedication for the Hartington Area Veteran’s Memorial will take place Saturday, May 27 at 2 p.m. with refreshments to follow at the VFW Hall two blocks away. Anyone who wants to sit during the dedication ceremony is asked to bring a chair.