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Thanks to the hard work of eighth grader Garrett Smetana, North Branch’s Central Park is the home to a Veteran’s Memorial. The stone, commemorating those who have served their nation, was dedicated in a ceremony Saturday, October 28.

Smetana completed the project as a part of the requirements for his Eagle Scouting program. “He started working on it in August, although it’s been in the planning a lot longer,” said proud father and scout leader Scott Smetana.

The dedication ceremony featured comments by the new Eagle Scout, North Branch Mayor, a prayer and a 21 gun salute by the NB American Legion post. In his comments, Smetana thanked his parents and friends, among others, for their assistance and support as well as Cold Spring Granite, North Branch NAPA and Braham Monument.

The stone, “Came from Wausau, Wisconsin and was originally part of a five by 10 foot block of granite,” said the young scout’s father. Cold Spring Granite provided the stone for the monumental sum of five dollars. NAPA donated the supplies Garrett and friends used in a fundraising car wash that generated money needed for the project. The engraving on the stone was provided by Braham Monument.

The stone, which serves as the center point for the memorial, sits among attractive landscaping beneath a flag display in the southeast corner of the park. The inscription reads

IN HONOR OF

ALL WHO SERVED



“The probability we face in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.”

Abraham Lincoln

Smetana is a student at North Branch Middle School and is the son of Scott and Tracy Smetana of North Branch.

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