LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- REMINDER --
WHAT: Veterans Parkway Flag Dedication Event WHEN: October 11, 2001 -- 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. WHERE: At the 19th Century Victorian Chapel on Veterans Parkway
Today, American flags are flying high along Veterans Parkway. This "Star Spangled Parade of Colors" starts at Veteran Avenue on the east and continues west to Federal Avenue and San Vicente, along Wilshire Boulevard. These flags will remain a permanent part of the parkway and represent all 50 states and territories of the union. They will be illuminated at night, and will never be taken down. (This event was originally scheduled to take place in the spring of 2002 as part of an ongoing program of enhancement of the area. It is taking place today in the light of recent events.)
BACKGROUND
Veterans Park Conservancy is a nonprofit organization whose members include veterans, community and business leaders, government officials, and neighborhood groups. Founded in 1988, VPC is committed to serving veterans by protecting, enhancing and maintaining the land in West L.A. that has been set aside to honor the memory and sacrifices of all those who fought for our country.
VETERANS PARKWAY
The initial phase of the effort to transform this expansive Westside property into a place of national meaning was in 1994 when a portion of Wilshire Boulevard, between Veteran, Federal and San Vicente Boulevard, was designated "Veterans Parkway". Since that time, a portion of this famous curving roadway has been upgraded and landscaped. Most visible are the 60 Jacaranda trees -- also known as the "Cherry Blossoms" of the West -- in the central median of Wilshire Boulevard.
ARLINGTON OF THE WEST
VPC's first full-scale project was to improve key features of the Los Angeles National Cemetery to help elevate the cemetery to its rightful status as "The Arlington of the West." In 1998, The Spanish-American War Memorial Monument, a statue at the corner of Wilshire and Veteran Avenue, depicts Lady Liberty holding high the torch of freedom, was restored into a plaza with new landscaping, fencing, and dramatic night-time lighting. In the years that followed, a majestic new entrance to the National Cemetery was created on Sepulveda at Constitution Avenue, and 8,000 feet (1 1/2 miles) of rusted chain link fencing around the cemetery's perimeter were replaced with iron fencing and stately columns.
THE NEW TEN-ACRE PARK
Under the terms of an agreement with the Federal Government, Veterans Park Conservancy has already begun to develop plans for a magnificent, ten-acre "Fields of Glory" Community Park on Wilshire and San Vicente. The park, with landscaped walkways, promenades and a water wall lined with plaques, will commemorate the sacrifices of our veterans. It will also preserve the memory of their heroism for generations to come.