Lake in the Hills to unveil veterans memorial Wednesday

After years of planning and fundraising, Lake in the Hills is gearing up to unveil a veterans memorial this Veterans Day, officials said.

"It's been a dream come true," said Village Trustee Russ Ruzanski, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee.

Ruzanski, along with Village President Paul Mulcahy, has been pushing the project for several years. Both men are Navy veterans who served during the Vietnam War.

Officials broke ground on the project last Veterans Day. Four flags, including an American flag standing in the center of the memorial, flanked by an Illinois state flag and flags representing prisoners of war and those missing in action, already are in place at the southeast end of the village hall property, 600 Harvest Gate.

Workers will begin laying commemorative paver bricks Wednesday for the memorial plaza.

The memorial itself - five large slabs of granite representing each of the branches of the military connected by a 2-foot wall - will be installed Saturday near the gazebo behind village hall.

Last year, workers installed a walkway leading from the gazebo to the memorial site and to the back door of village hall. That pathway eventually will extend to Harvest Gate, officials have said.

The project, estimated to cost up to $250,000, is being completed in two years, a year ahead of schedule.

Volunteers have been fundraising at community events, such as Ribfest and Sunset Fest, collecting anywhere from $1 to $20 in donations.

"I had kids giving me their pocket change," Ruzanski said. "The support has been great all the way around."

The Veterans Memorial Committee has collected $80,000, not counting pledges of $37,500 from the Lake in the Hills Rotary and Castle Bank. The village itself committed $40,000 toward the project.

The dedication ceremony will run from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Nov. 11 at the site. It will include a benediction and speeches from memorial committee members, Mulcahy, and local World War II veterans, along with a tour of the new memorial.

Members of the American Legion Post No. 1231 Color Guard will present colors, and Lincoln Prairie Elementary School students will sing patriotic songs. Commemorative bricks will be sold until the memorial plaza is full.

Donations also are being accepted at village hall and Castle Bank locations: 2100 W. Algonquin Road and 4520 W. Algonquin Road. For more information, visit lith.org.