Luray Caverns displays garden in front of Blue Star Memorial
By Joe Paldino
LURAY, June 14 – Dozens gathered at the parking lot of Luray Caverns on Sunday afternoon as the Luray Garden Club and Hill & Valley Garden Club unveiled a new attraction… a red, white and blue garden in front of the Blue Star Memorial tribute honoring Armed Forces.
“Because it was the 250th anniversary [of the United States], we decided to make [the garden] red, white, and blue,” said Mary Beth McGurin, Luray Garden Club President. “And since it’s the Blue Star Memorial, we made the star blue, and we made the flowers around it red and white.”
A flurry of speeches and presentations from contributors and supporters alike highlighted the importance of honoring the Armed Forces. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 621 and American Legion Post 22 Honor Guard conducted the Presentation and Posting of the Colors as well as the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Page Patriotic Singers also graced the audience with multiple songs such as “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “America the Beautiful,” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
McGurin worked closely with Hill & Valley Garden Club President Will Daniels to create something she felt fitting to honor those in the Armed Forces. The two clubs were able to garner the support of more than nine different sponsors to help ease the burden financially.
“I just think it’s a wonderful thing to honor our country and honor the people that defend it,” said McGurin. “I think we need more positivity when it comes to the military.”
Luray Caverns visitors will now be able to pass by the garden and memorial every time they travel along the walkway before descending into the caverns.
“I think it’s very, very important that we recognize that freedom is absolutely not free,” said McGurin. “We have to recognize that the people that are serving in our military… have given up families, have given up birthdays, they’ve given up watching their baby walk for the first time. All of these things are so important.”
For more information on the Luray Garden Club,
For more information on the Hill & Valley Garden Club,
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