Amador County – A dedication ceremony for the Ione Veterans Memorial Park will feature a full military ceremony to honor Ione-area locals who have served and sacrificed for their country.

The public is invited to the Ione Memorial Park Dedication April 30 at the park, at corner of Main Street and Preston Avenues in downtown Ione.

Dedication co-organizer Sharon Long said a full military ceremony is planned and will include patriot guard riders, an honor guard, a flyover, a 21-gun salute, and patriotic music. Long said the “program will include dignitaries from throughout the county as well as State Senator Ted Gaines.”

Long said any veteran who served honorably in the armed services and who lived, or is living in the 95640 zip code area is encouraged to complete an application form so they are included on the Veterans Wall. Each veteran will be represented with a brick with his or her name, service date and branch of service. This phase of the project will continue through the end of the year.

A monument honoring those killed in action will be a part of the dedication. PFC Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins, was killed on April 28, 2007 and will have a plaque in his honor displayed on a monument. He was the first solider in Amador County killed during the Iraq war.

The park is funded by individual donations. Donations can be made payable to the Ione Veterans Memorial Park, through the Bank of Amador in Ione. This project is sponsored by the Amador Community Foundation.

All donations are tax deductible. For additional information, contact Long at (209) 304-5118, or Jerry Cassesi at (209) 601-4079.

The Ione Memorial Park Dedication is 11 a.m. Saturday, April 30 on Main Street in Ione. A Veterans walk is schedule at 10 a.m. starting at Ione Junior High School and ending at the Veterans Park.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.