The 11th annual Murrieta Field of Honor, set amongst an awe-inspiring sight — 2,019 full-sized American flags –will rise in Murrieta’s Town Square Park on November 9 and fly until November 17. Each year, the Field recognizes heroes, those who served or are serving in the United States armed forces, law enforcement, fire and other first responder posts, plus personal heroes. In addition to the 2,019 flags available for dedication to personal heroes, the Field features sections for Medal of Honor recipients, Local Heroes (those who have given their lives for this country since 2003), historical flags, a flag dedicated to those who perished in 9/11, state flags and a patriotic chalk walk.
This year’s Field of Honor will honor First Responders, including the Murrieta fire and rescue and police departments in the opening ceremonies, scheduled for 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, November 9. In addition, a Military Family Resource Expo will be available that day.
New for 2019, the Patriots Ball which concludes the week-long commemoration will be held at the Pechanga Resort, November 17, 5 p.m., featuring dinner, music and dancing plus attractive live and silent auctions. The public is invited to this special event and additional information and tickets are available at www.MurrietaRotaryClub.org/Patriots-Ball-2019.
The Field of Honor is presented as a community service by the Rotary Club of Murrieta in partnership with the City of Murrieta and is held in the park, located just two blocks off of I-15, and stretching from City Hall at Jefferson and Kalmia streets, to the Library. Most Town Square Park events and the display are free and open to all. As the flags are being placed in perfect rows in the Park early on Saturday, November 9, dozens of chalk artists will be creating patriotic works of art on the sidewalks surrounding the park.
A salute to the United States Marines on the 244rd birthday will be held on Sunday, November 10. A full week of activities will follow. Murrieta’s popular Veterans Day parade on Monday, a candlelight concert with Murrieta middle school students on Wednesday night, a Boy Scouts Final Salute ceremony on Friday.
“Murrieta Rotary is so honored to present this spectacular event as a gift to our Southwest Riverside community,” said Jacqui Dobens, 2019-20 president of the Club. “And we are especially thankful for our Field of Honor/Patriots Ball sponsors who not only make this event possible but also make it possible for Rotary to fund many significant projects throughout the year. Flag sponsors contribute to this as well.”
The Field of Honor’s Organizing Committee is led by Lou Ellen Ficke and Immediate Past President Jann Gentry while the Patriots Ball Committee is led by President Nominee Jeffrey C. Nickerson. The committees meet for months in advance of the event to work out every detail, according to Dobens.
“Each sponsored flag is tagged with the name of the honoree and rank, service or other designation. At the end of the week, flags may be picked up by those who purchase them. Those who have flags from previous years that are in good condition can have them reposted for $10.” Each American flag is three by five feet on an eight-foot pole and can be purchased for $35. They can be purchased on the Field of Honor website, https://www.murrietarotaryclub.org/product/flag-sponsorship, or by going to the Field of Honor during the week it is on display. Flag purchasers can pick up their flags on Saturday, Nov. 16, and from 9 a.m. until noon on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Proceeds from the 2019 Field of Honor will benefit the “Murrieta Through Time” history walk, the City’s Veterans’ Memorial, both at Town Square Park, and community projects like the Club’s partnership with the Murrieta Fire and Rescue Department to bring life-saving Pulse Point to the city, teacher grants, scholarships, speech and music contests and more, all funded by the Rotary Club of Murrieta Foundation. Nonprofit groups affiliated with the Field of Honor who sell flags will receive $10 for each flag sold.
Furthering the Field of Honor’s educational benefits, all Murrieta Valley Unified School District fifth grade classes plus some classes from Lake Elsinore and Temecula schools will visit the Field during the week, hear explanations about the displays and complete class assignments.
Events during the week include:
Sat. Nov. 9 – 9:45 Opening ceremonies honor first responders. 9-5 Chalk artists develop patriotic images. 10-2 Military Family Resource Expo
Sun. Nov. 10 – 11:30 a.m.- Marine Corps Birthday celebration -open to the public??? 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Chalk artists developing patriotic images
Mon. Nov. 11 – 10 a.m.-noon. City of Murrieta’s Veterans Day Parade, concluding at the Field of Honor
Tues., Nov 12 – 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Student field trips.
Wed., Nov. 13 — 6 p.m. Candlelight Ceremony features choirs from the Murrieta middle schools and a reading of “Letters from War” by local artists.
Fri., Nov. 15 – Noon, Rotary’s Veterans Luncheon, Invitation only 5 p.m. – Boy Scouts conduct Final Salute flag retirement
Sat., Nov. 16 – 9-5 p.m., Flag Pick-ups
Sun., Nov. 17 – 9 a.m. – noon, Flag Pick-ups – 5 p.m. – Patriots Ball at Pechanga Resort.
The City of Murrieta was founded on July 1, 1991 and is noted for its quality of life for more than 115,000 residents and its business community. Juan Murrieta, a native of Spain, first settled in the area with a flock of 100,000 sheep in 1873. The Southern California Railroad’s coming to the area in 1882 helped to open the community to new residents, population swelling to 800. In 1935, the trains stopped running. The town stayed small for the next 50 years, until the I-15 freeway arrived in the mid-1980s and cityhood for its then-24,000 residents.
The Rotary Club of Murrieta was chartered on April 28, 1992. The club is involved in many international and community projects, in cooperation with Rotary International, which has as its theme “Service Above Self.” Club meetings are held Mondays (excepting holidays) at noon at Richie’s Diner, 40651 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, in Murrieta. For information regarding the club or membership visit www.murrietarotary.org.
Dozens of volunteers will set up the 2019 Field of Honor, in the early morning hours of November 9. To volunteer for the event, go to MurrietaRotaryClub.org/Field of Honor.