COLRAIN — A handmade wooden sign on the town common once commemorated veterans who were Colrain residents at the time of their service. But since the sign rotted, there hasn’t been anywhere in town that honors the roughly 300 veterans.
The five members of the year-old Colrain Memorial Veterans Park Committee are hoping to change that, and are raising money for the purchase of plaques, stones, benches and flagpoles.
“If they served our country, they should be honored,” said Joan McQuade, treasurer of the Colrain Memorial Veterans Park Committee, as she and two other women sold coffee, doughnuts and cider at the Transfer Station on Saturday as part of their fundraising efforts. “We’ve got all those Colrain veterans.”
A small box was also set up for donations.
“Already, the people have been so generous,” Vice Chair Elaine Stanley said shortly after the fundraiser began.
Some people just donated and stopped to say hello; others purchased a snack or a coffee for the road.
Saturday’s fundraiser was the first of what they expect to be many fundraisers over the next year — though none have been scheduled yet.
The new park, which they expect to be completed next spring or summer alongside the Village Intersection Improvement Project — a federally funded project that calls for an expanded common area, as well as new paving and new sidewalks — will include plaques placed on stones, an American flag, a Prisoner of War flag and two benches.
Veterans of World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War will be recognized on the plaques. An extra stone will be placed to be used for veterans from 1975 and later.
“From ’75 on, the next generation is going to have to take care of that,” McQuade said.
Anyone who wishes to donate to the project is asked to make a check out to Colrain Veterans Memorial Park Funds, which can be mailed to Joan McQuade, P.O. Box 25, Colrain MA 01340.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne