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24 Thursday, September 19, 2024 BATTLE CREEK SHOPPER NEWS http://www.thebattlecreekshopper.com

See ATHENS on 25

LEILA WOOD
Shopper News Contributor

The Village of Athens rededicated
its Veterans Memorial on Saturday,
Sept. 14.
The monument was recently reno-
vated by the Athens Department of
Public Works and about a half dozen
volunteers.
It was Norman Conant who came
up with the idea to revamp the mon-
ument.
“He has spent many years work-
ing on the fire department. He also
spent many years volunteering his
Fridays to pay respect to fallen ser-
vice members, as an honor guard at
Fort Custer National Cemetery. He
is not a veteran, but he is one of the
best advocates for all veterans,” said
VFW post 5319 Commander Scott
Holmes, who led the re-dedication
ceremony.
Conant is a longstanding member
of the Athens Planning Commission
and said, “We were trying to figure
out what we wanted to see come in
town, and this thought (came) in my
mind the first thing...”

Athens community rallies around Veterans Memorial renovation, rededication

The newly remodeled Athens Veterans Memorial. (Shopper News photo by Leila Wood)

A veteran raising the US Coast Guard

flag at the Athens Veterans Memorial

on Saturday, September 14. (Shopper

News photo by Leila Wood)

He said he got approval from the

Village and the VFW and then raised

$20,000, which ended up being about

$400 more than the final cost of the

project.

Funding and volunteers came from

Athens Township, the Village of

Athens, the Nottawaseppi Huron

Band of the Potawatomi, Athens

VFW Post 5319, the Athens Area

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