Rededication Ceremony for Monument Park
A Rededication Ceremony for the newly revitalized Monument Park on the Village Green was held on December 10, 2023. The monuments were successfully installed a week prior, with new flag poles and concrete work finished in time for the ceremony.
About a year ago, Rick Wolffe of Summit Elks Lodge and Henry Bassman of the Lindsey-Street Post of The American Legion noticed the small war monument area on the village green in Summit had deteriorated. Wolffe remarked, “This is no way to honor the men and women who served our country.”
That comment sparked a passionate commitment to restore and improve “Monument Park”.
With singular focus, Rick and Henry started a campaign to upgrade the monuments and garnered the support of the City of Summit.
Through the generosity of over 260 members of the Summit Elks Lodge, the members of the Lindsey-Street Post, and the Summit Foundation, the campaign raised over $100,000 in nine months! “Donors were so generous, we were able to include elements beyond our original design, including the installation of flags for each branch of the military,” commented Henry Bassman.
After months of hard work that went on behind the scenes and the installation work performed by the Summit Department of Public Works, the dedication ceremony on December 10 drew a large crowd from our community which included dignitaries from the Elks, the American Legion, and the City of Summit to see the realization of the dream built by the community coming together.
The program included the singing of the Star Spangled Banner led by LTC William Rappelled (Retired) accompanied by Mark Noonan on Bugle. An invocation was done by Elks Lodge Chaplain Peter Holmes and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Common Council President Marjorie Fox. After opening remarks Rick Wolfe and Henry Bassman presided over the dedication ceremonies. The event featured the raising of flags representing the six branches of the armed forces while the Armed Forces Melody was played by the Emerald Pipers. The flags were hoisted by Jim Bennet (Army), Gil Owren (Marine Corps), Emil Meny (Navy), John Smethers (Air Force), Mike Williams (Space Force), and Mike Yannacone (Coast Guard).
