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Veterans Memorial Planned for Schuylkill Haven

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — With Memorial Day less than three weeks away, people in one community in Schuylkill County are looking to wrap up a project to help bet...

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN -- With Memorial Day less than three weeks away, people in one community in Schuylkill County are looking to wrap up a project to help better honor our veterans.

The site of an old canal now houses memorials for just about everyone who left an impact on the community.

"All the islands on Parkway have memorials, whether its veterans, police memorials, and even boy scout memorials," said Scott Graver, borough administrator for Schuylkill Haven. "And what makes it even better is it's all completed by volunteers."

And a new project is no exception.

"We've had families as far west as Illinois and as far south as Florida," said James Spink, one of the organizers.

Spink, his family, and the Schuylkill Frontier Girls and Quest Clubs, have started building a memorial for generations of veterans long gone and still living.

"It's nice to see we honor all the veterans who sacrificed their lives and sacrificed time with their families to be able to walk down this and be a part of it," said Spink.

When it's all said and done, a tree will be surrounded by the names of nearly 200 veterans and their families on bricks, with plans in the future to possibly put in a walkway with more bricks.

Carl Hufnagle lives right across the street from the new memorial. The Korean War veteran understands Parkway is a focal point of Schuylkill Haven and a bigger memorial for veterans will be an added bonus.

"It'll be great," he added. "This is really nice along here."

The first round of bricks is expected to arrive Friday with volunteer landscapers beginning the work shortly thereafter.

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