More than 2,000 flags will wave in silent tribute to heroes in the Murrieta Rotary Club’s eighth annual Field of Honor, set to open November 5 in Murrieta Town Square Park. The increasingly popular event is a visually stunning, awe-inspiring array of perfect rows of American flags honoring heroes nominated by local residents who want to pay tribute to the people who have made our country and our lives great.
The Field is open all week long from November 5th through the 12th and incorporates several note-worthy events: the Patriot Chalk Walk exhibits the drawing and the display of sidewalk chalk art by regional artists, the Opening Ceremonies honor first responders, the Veterans Luncheon (by invitation), the City of Murrieta’s Veterans’ Day Parade, Marine Corps Birthday Celebration, a Candlelight Ceremony and Concert and nearly 3,000 fifth graders from area schools who eagerly come to the Field to learn about patriotism.
The Field has several sections to explore, including the Medal of Honor recipients field, the 27 Official United States historical flags, the flags of all 50 states, a section for local heroes and the Veterans Memorials.
New this year will be the expanded Opening Day schedule on Saturday, November 5th. On the same day the flags are going up, there will be a 5K “Run Forrest Run” benefitting the Gary Sinise Foundation. The registration for the run will open at 7:00 with the race starting at 9:00. The run will be accompanied by the Military Family Resource expo hosted by the Women’s Council of Realtors of Southwest Riverside County and a cut-a-thon hosted by Paul Mitchell the School.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 10:15 and will include the presentation of our nation’s colors, an honor guard, welcome from FOH officials and key political representatives, and presentations from some of our local first responders.
The Field will present three special sections of interest:
- The Local Heroes field honors the more than 100 men and women from our region who have died in the line of duty fighting in Iran and Afghanistan since 2003
- A section for Californians who have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
- The Historical section hosts the 27 versions of the stars and stripes that have officially flown over the country since the first one was authorized by Congress in 1777; this section includes a half-dozen other familiar flags in the country’s past that were never authorized.
The Field will be open and staffed with volunteers every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Two public events of interest are the Candlelight Concert on Wednesday, November 9 at 6:00 pm featuring MVUSD middle school choruses; and the Boy Scout Flag Retirement (The Final Salute) on Thursday November 10 at 5:00 pm. Also on Thursday there will be a cake cutting ceremony celebrating the Marine Corps 241st birthday. The cake cutting is at on the Field at 1:00.
The Field of Honor is a community service project of the Murrieta Rotary Club. The club sells flag sponsorships to everyone who would like to honor a hero by flying their flag in the Field. The cost of a flag sponsorship in $35 and the flags may be picked up on Saturday, November 12 or Sunday morning, November 13.
The week’s events culminate in the Patriots Ball, held in a huge tent next to the Field. Tickets to the Ball are available for $75 each. Proceeds from the week’s events are used to support the city’s Veterans Memorial project in Town Square Park and to support the ongoing work the Rotary Club does in the community and schools.
For more information, please visit the website, MurrietaFieldofHonor.com, call Frank Donahoe at 951-704-3622, or email frankdonahoe@ymail.com.