Norton Veterans Memorial Park to be dedicated

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CITY OF NORTON
A rendering of Norton Veterans Memorial Park, featuring the zigzag reflection walkway, a saluting soldier silhouette, and a central hexagonal platform honoring all six branches of the U.S. military. The city will dedicate the site at 9 a.m. on Friday, July 4. Norton Historical Society plaque honoring the service and sacrifice of Norton’s military veterans, to be displayed at the city’s new Veterans Memorial Park.

By KARLA TIPTON | BGNN contributor

NORTON  America marks its birthday on the Fourth of July. On that same day, the city of Norton will honor the men and women who served to protect it.

The city’s new Veterans Memorial Park will be dedicated at a ceremony scheduled for 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, July 4 at Columbia Woods.

In May, Norton City Administrator Dennis Loughry provided an update on the memorial’s status to the Norton Historical Society. The Society partnered with the city to raise funds for the $500,000 project.

Residents and local businesses contributed generously.

“We will have fundraised between $125,000 and $150,000 of the $500,000 city costs. And so that’s pretty good, actually,” Loughry said.

Originally set to open on Memorial Day, the dedication was postponed due to delayed granite shipments from overseas, caused by tariff-related issues.

“That granite got stuck on a container in the ocean,” he said.

In addition to a ribbon-cutting, the ceremony will include a service modeled after one at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman. Mayor Mike Zita and retired Maj. Gen. James Hodge, a Norton native, will give remarks.

Ceremonial music will be performed on bagpipes and trumpet. The Kiwanis Club will host a pancake breakfast before and after the dedication, from 7:15 to 8:45 a.m. and 10 to 11:15 a.m.

DESIGN UPDATE

The memorial was shaped by community feedback and a steering committee.

“Initially it was going to go in Williams Park on the square,” said Loughry, but the location was changed to the area between the Shirley L. McGuire Community Center, 4060 Columbia Woods Drive, and the City Administration Building.

The design includes a circular Ring of Honor, marked by six flags — among them the American flag and the POW/MIA flag, which honors prisoners of war and those missing in action.

When Loughry became city administrator in January 2024, the project was already underway. He researched memorials in Rittman, Clinton and Smithville.

The original plans represented five military branches — Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard — but had not included the U.S. Space Force, established in 2019.

“Ours was already designed before I got here,” said Loughry. “Space Force is a legitimate branch of the service now. If we would have started construction, I would have had an excuse, but we hadn’t started. So our star-shaped design with five branches of the service became a hexagon with six branches of the service.”

Several benches offer places for reflection around the site. A prominent silhouette of a saluting soldier stands at the entrance to a winding pathway leading to a central hexagonal platform.
This area displays monuments honoring each of the six branches of the U.S. military.

Originally conceived as a straight path, the walkway was redesigned into a zigzag layout at the suggestion of Ray Williams, city parks foreman. The updated design enhances visibility and presentation of the memorial elements along the route. Along the way, visitors encounter additional tributes, including a boots-and-bayonet sculpture, a monument dedicated to POW/MIA service members, and another honoring recipients of the Purple Heart.

“At night, when it’s lit up, it’s going to be beautiful,” Loughry said.

HONOR YOUR VETERAN

The City of Norton is offering ongoing opportunities for paver sponsorships. These pavers, to be installed in the Reflection Walkway section of the memorial, must be purchased in honor or memory of a veteran. Pavers are available in three sizes: small (7×14 inches) for $200, medium (14×14 inches) for $300, and large (14×21 inches) for $400.

Veterans who have received a Purple Heart, were prisoners of war, or were killed in action will have their names automatically engraved on the memorial. To add a veteran’s name or purchase a paver, contact Emma Hutchison at [email protected] or call (330) 825-7815, extension 314.