Fletcher Cemetery Association to Dedicate Restored Monument

Fletcher Cemetery
The original monument has been moved to a new location and is now flanked by a pair of new granite stones with ample room for additional names.

The newly restored veterans monument in one of Starke County’s oldest cemeteries will be dedicated during a special Memorial Day service. Members of the Fletcher Cemetery Association launched a fundraising campaign last year to rehabilitate the statue, which dates to the 1950s. There was no more room to add names to it, and the structure was giving way. Continue reading

Fletcher Cemetery Association Raising Money to Restore Veterans Monument

The Fletcher Cemetery Association is raising money to restore this veterans monument.
The Fletcher Cemetery Association is raising money to restore this veterans monument.

Members of the Fletcher Cemetery Association want to restore and expand the monument there dedicated to the memory of local men and women who served in our nation’s armed forces. The statue dates to the 1950s, and there is no more room to add names to it. Fletcher Cemetery Association Board Member Hobart Martin says the foundation is also giving way. The board hopes to raise enough money through private donations to move the monument east of its current location, pour a new foundation and add commemorative bricks nearby with more names. Fletcher Cemetery is located at the intersection of County Road 400 North and County Road 700 East. Martin says the cemetery gets no funds from the federal, state or local government. All maintenance and upkeep is done through lot sales and donations. Any business or individual who gives at least $500 to the monument restoration will have a commemorative block engraved to acknowledge their support. However Martin says gifts in any amount are welcome. The Hamlet American Legion and several local businesses have already contributed to the project. Click here Fletcher Cemetery Association to read more about how you can contribute to the monument restoration.

Starke County Community Foundation Awards Grants

The Starke County Community Foundation made the holiday bright for many community organizations during its 2010 Grant Award Banquet. Over $24,000 was awarded on Monday, December 6th at the Community Center in Knox.

The grants are part of the Community Foundation’s Unrestricted Funds which allow the Community Foundation to assess the greatest needs of the community and assist the individual agency programs. Since 1998, the Community Foundation has awarded over $1.7 million to local organizations and projects that make a difference in Starke County.

Continue reading