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New Cumberland Garden Club to host Blue Star memorial marker dedication ceremony

CEREMONY SATURDAY — The gazebo in New Cumberland will be the site of a new Blue Star memorial marker with the ceremony to be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday. -- Contributed

NEW CUMBERLAND — The New Cumberland Garden Club will hold a dedication ceremony on Saturday for the state’s newest Blue Star memorial marker.

The ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. at the gazebo in New Cumberland on state Route 2.

“These memorial markers can be found in parks and along roadsides in every state across America,” a spokesperson explained. “Hancock County was the only county in West Virginia that did not have at least one Blue Star Marker, but all that will change on June 9.”

What is today called the Blue Star Marker program began in 1944 when the New Jersey Council of Garden Clubs planted dogwood trees to honor World War II veterans. The following year, the National Council of Garden Clubs expanded the effort to honor all men and women who have served in the armed forces with a permanent cast metal marker that features a blue star.

The blue star was a familiar symbol during WW II and could be seen on flags and banners hanging in homes, churches and public buildings to honor those who were away at war. Today these markers stretch across the country and remain a symbol of remembrance for the nation’s service men and women.

Saturday’s ceremony will include patriotic music, brief remarks by the president of the West Virginia Garden Clubs and the unveiling and dedication of the Blue Star Memorial Marker. Light refreshments will be served at the gazebo immediately following the dedication. All area veterans as well as the general public are invited to attend.

In the event of rain, the ceremony will be postponed until June 30.

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