County Executive Samantha Kerkman is inviting local veterans and their families to the inaugural Veterans Appreciation Summer Picnic, to be held at noon Friday, June 2, at the Kenosha County Veterans Memorial Park.
Admission is free, and lunch will be served courtesy of MISSION BBQ in Kenosha. Free roundtrip transportation to the park from Festival Foods, 3207 80th St. in Kenosha, will also be offered courtesy of Dousman Transport Co.
“This is all about celebrating the start of summer with our veterans at our beautiful park that’s dedicated in their honor,” Kerkman said. “Thanks to our community partners for coming together and making this festive day possible.”
At the picnic, the VA Mobile Vet Center will be on hand to offer confidential services for veterans and their families, including counseling and referrals to other services.
The Kenosha County Veterans Memorial Park is located west of Highway KD and north of Highway F in the towns of Randall and Wheatland. The picnic will be held in the park’s Veterans Honor Plaza, which is accessible from the Karow Court entrance off Highway F (Bassett Road), just west of Highway KD (352nd Avenue).
Picnic guests will have the opportunity to see the current progress of two new park attractions that will open this summer: A permanent restroom facility near the Veterans Honor Plaza and a shelter honoring Army veterans, the first of a planned series of such facilities to be dedicated to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Existing amenities in the 335-acre park include the 39-acre Freedom Lake, which is open to nonmotorized water activities, and more than five miles of walking trails.
“The Kenosha County Veterans Memorial Park is a therapeutic place for all of our veterans and their families to reflect on their service and to enjoy nature,” said Kenosha County Veterans Services Director Ali Nelson. “It is our hope that many families will come out for this picnic and learn more about what the park has to offer.”
Those seeking transportation to the picnic are asked to contact the Kenosha County Veterans Service Office at 262-605-6690 or to send an email to Veterans.Services@kenoshacounty.org. The deadline to sign up for transportation is Thursday, June 1.
Learn more:
More information about the Kenosha County Veterans Services office is available at kenoshacounty.org/368/Veterans, and more details about the park are at kenoshacounty.org/1658/Kenosha-County-Veterans-Memorial-Park.
Veterans and their supporters are also encouraged to visit the Kenosha County Veterans Honor Portal — an online tool that includes Tribute Trail self-guided tour of veteran landmarks across the county, as well as the Veterans Honor Registry, a place for Kenosha County veterans and their families to share their stories of service. The portal is available at kenoshacounty.org/VeteransPortal.