As Memorial Day approaches, the Colchester Veterans Memorial Committee has been busy readying a new feature to the grounds on the site of the former Princess Theater on Fulton Street.
To date, 860 memorial bricks have been set in four concrete patios. The bricks have been arranged in order of date of purchase. This has produced some difficulty when visitors attempt to locate a brick. An answer came, modeled after the National Park Service's visitor information kiosk on the Washington D.C. Mall. Located at the southwest corner of the Veterans Memorial grounds is an octagon-shaped structure housing electronic equipment that will enable visitors to locate precisely the bricks memorializing local service personnel.
A few years ago, a committee member contacted Mark Sullivan of Macomb Glass about a potential structure. He has a relative north of Peoria who had access to the skeleton of a revolving door used in a business. He removed the inner carousel allowing for just the right size facility to house the electronic equipment. Best of all, the framework was donated to the Veterans Committee.
The first evidence of something new on the grounds came when Dave Blazevich poured and finished the concrete pad.
The committee had glass and other structural elements added to the remodeled revolving door to provide an enclosed space. They then purchased a security cabinet to house a monitor, a keyboard and an innovative 'Raspberry Pie' computer the size of a pack of playing cards. Once the CPU is completely programmed, users will be able to key in the name of someone and instantly find the exact rank and file where that person's brick is located. Future plans call for including a complete data base of information about each honoree's military service along with a security camera and recording equipment.
McDonough Telephone Cooperative bored a channel from the adjacent Colchester Fire Protection Service building and pulled the necessary electrical and internet wiring to the kiosk, while Kirk Denney wired the electrical connections. Both MTC, Denney, as well as Macomb Glass and Blazevich, donated significant amounts of time and material to ensure the completion of the kiosk.
The Colchester Veteran's Committee will hold its 18th annual Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 23. Air Force Master Sgt. Kayla Bair, a Colchester native, will be the guest speaker along with a combined Honor Guard from the Macomb American Legion and Macomb VFW.
