Cedar Park Plans Veterans Parade & Ceremony On Saturday

CEDAR PARK, TX -- The city is scheduled to pay tribute to men and women in uniform, both past and present, with the Veterans Parade & Ceremony this Saturday.

The Nov. 5 parade is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m., running from Woodall Drive, north on West New Hope Drive past Veterans Memorial Park, before turning west at West New Hope Spur and then back to Woodall Drive. The ceremony follows, beginning at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Monument at Veterans Memorial Park at 2525 W. New Hope Dr.

Seating is expected to be limited for the ceremony, city officials said. Guests are invited to bring their own blankets and lawn chairs. Admission is free.

This year's ceremony will recognize Cedar Park Veterans Donald Schliesser and Troy Cole, who were recently bestowed Congressional Veterans Commendations by U.S. Congressman John Carter for their military and community service, city officials said. Several local elected officials are scheduled to be in attendance.

Additionally, two new statues will be introduced at the ceremony. One of the life-size bronze sculptures depicts a World War I “Doughboy” and the other depicts World War II U.S. Naval Commander – both by renowned artist Matt Glenn. The new sculptures sit along the walkway to the Veterans Memorial Monument, officials said.

The sculptures are a project of the Cedar Park City Council and the Parks, Arts and Community Enrichment (PACE) Advisory Board. City officials provided a description and history of the memorial.

About the Cedar Park Veterans Memorial

The Cedar Park Veterans Memorial, unveiled in 2011, consists of 22-foot-tall black granite obelisk with a towering, seven-foot tall bronze soldier, standing guard over a base of six panels honoring each of the six branches of the United States Armed Services: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.

Engraved paving stones honoring loved ones of local residents who have served, lead up to the monument. Designed by Fort Worth artist Gregory Beck, the monument has many special references to Texas. One panel of the obelisk honors women in the U.S. Military, with laser art taken from actual photographs at Camp Mabry of a Texas Army National Guard Soldier kissing her 18 month-old baby goodbye, and another returning to her 4-year-old child after a tour of duty.

The base panel honoring the Air Force features a B1 Bomber stationed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene and the base panel honoring the Navy features an image of the George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier. The bronze soldier is the likeness of U.S. Army Specialist Matthew Morris of Cedar Park, who was killed in 2008 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. His mother Lisa served on the Veterans Memorial Citizens Advisory Committee, which raised more than $225,000 to construct the monument.

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