Veterans Rock Dedication Ceremony Set for Veterans Day

(KNSI) — On Veterans Day in St. Cloud, a tribute to the men and women of the armed forces will be unveiled.

The Veterans Rock’s dedication ceremony will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Monday at the Wilson Park pavilion. President Caroline Stringer told KNSI News that everyone is welcome to the event. “We’re excited to unveil the artwork, and we’re hoping that the community will show up and be able to meet the artists behind the project.”

The 13.25-ton granite boulder(27,000 LBS) was painted by artistic former service members to represent the six branches of the military(Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines, Navy and Space Force).

The ceremony will feature a Metro Vets Color Guard, a speech from Mayor Dave Kleis and some words from Stringer. She says the project had been in the works for almost two years and can’t wait for everyone to see it. “We are all super excited to be able to show what we’ve been working on for so long. And, we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback from the community. So, we’re super excited that we’re at this stage.”

Stringer is originally from Iowa, where Freedom Rocks line the roads in every county. That inspired her to bring something similar to St. Cloud.

The nonprofit group is still working on fundraising and hopes to have enough money to put a shelter over the decorative boulder by the end of spring. To help raise money for the shelter, Stringer says military members can be immortalized in paving stones that will line a sidewalk leading to the massive stone.

For more about the project, click here.

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