June 1 2020
Media Release
The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument will take place on Thursday, June 4 at 3:00 p.m. at 99 West Veterans Boulevard (located beside the Charles E. Shelton Memorial). Due to social distancing guidelines related to COVID-19, public attendance will be limited, but the public is encouraged to watch the ceremony live on Facebook @CityofOwensboro. There will be a dedication ceremony on August 25, 2020 at 1:00 pm, when the completed monument will be unveiled.
The Gold Star Families Memorial Monument is a two-sided tribute made of black granite. One side bears the words: Gold Star Families Memorial Monument, a tribute to Gold Star Families and Relatives who sacrificed a Loved One for our Freedom. The other side tells a story through the four granite panels: Homeland, Family, Patriot, and Sacrifice. The scenes on each panel will be a reflection of our community’s Gold Star Families and their fallen Heroes. At the center of this tribute is a silhouette of the Loved One who paid ultimate sacrifice in the name of Freedom.
Thank you to the generous donors who made the installation of this monument possible; City of Owensboro, Daviess County Fiscal Court, Downtown Owensboro, Inc., Public Life Foundation of Owensboro, Inc., Owensboro Grain, Atmos Energy Corporation, Tom and Barbara Watson, Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., Independence Bank, Owensboro Rotary Club Foundation, Inc., NBR Concrete and Excavating, Sterett Crane and Rigging, Castlen Steel, UPS, and Owensboro Warehouse Leasing LLC.