Soldiers to be honored

CANTON -More than 2,000 red, white, blue, yellow and black helium-filled balloons are scheduled for release into the Texas sky to honor soldiers at 9 a.m. September 3 at the site of the planned Van Zandt Veterans Memorial Plaza at the corner of Highways 243 and 19 in Canton.

Color-coded balloons for release may be purchased in the name of any soldier for $3 each-white for deceased veterans, yellow for currently serving personnel, black for prisoners of war/missing in action (POW/MIA), and red or blue for living veterans.

A card will be attached to each balloon with the name of the soldier being honored and a note asking the finder to "say a prayer for this family" and to let the Van Zandt Veterans Memorial Plaza committee know the location where the card was found. Mark Hardin with the City of Terrell airport said, depending on the winds of the day, it is estimated that a 12-inch helium filled balloon can go as high as 9,000 feet and drift as far as 400 miles.

Balloons are available now for purchase in advance at Timeless Treasures and Savannah Winery & Bistro in Canton, the Canton Chamber of Commerce, Mooseberg Insurance in Ben Wheeler, and Lone Star Grill in Wills Point. Committee members will also sell balloons at the Canton Wal-Mart from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. August 11, 18, 25, and 31.

All proceeds of this event go toward the building of the Van Zandt Veterans Memorial Plaza, with a mission "to create and perpetuate a memorial that honors the sons and daughters of Van Zandt County, Texas, who fought for freedom, with a place of beauty and reverence where family and comrades can find peace in the memory of lost loved ones, and create in all who see this monument an understanding of the magnitude of loss we all share in the name of freedom."

Completion of the memorial plaza is estimated to cost $350,000. Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has agreed to match funds with the memorial committee so their goal is $175,000. To date they have raised $55,000 and estimate the balloon release will bring in another $6,000. The committee also continues to sell bricks to honor soldiers to be placed in the plaza as well as memorabilia to further their fundraising efforts.

For more information call 903.363.2501.