EAST PEORIA, Ill. – The Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall will be on display a second time in East Peoria.
City officials say the traveling wall will be on display in Levee Park Sept. 25-29. Admission is free and the wall will be open 24 hours a day. It was previously in East Peoria in September 2020.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is a three-fifths scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. It stands six feet tall at the center and is almost 300 feet long. As of 2011, there are 58,272 names on the wall, the same as is on the national memorial.
The wall will arrive in East Peoria Sept. 25. An opening ceremony is scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 26 and a closing ceremony at noon Sept. 29. Details concerning the wall’s opening and closing ceremonies will be announced later.
The wall’s appearance is funded through donations which also benefit the Greater Peoria Honor Flight. The honor flight transports veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit the national memorial sites.
Those donating $250 or more will be considered sponsors and receive recognition on a banner and on the City of East Peoria’s website and social media sites. Deadline for sponsor-level donations is Sept. 1.
Those wishing to donate can mail a check to: East Peoria Community Foundations, P.O. Box 2817, East Peoria, IL 61611. Checks should contain the notation, “The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall.”
Volunteers will also be needed to set up the wall and take it down, as well as helping visitors find names on the wall. To volunteer or for more information, email VietnamWallEastPeoria2024@gmail.com.
More more information concerning the wall and its display, call 309-360-3130 or 309-251-9174.
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