Above / Wherever you stand, the Naperville Gold Star Families Memorial Monument is a place to pause and reflect in Veterans Park, 301 Gartner Road. (PN Photo, July 1. 2023)
It doesn’t seem possible that July 4 is here and our summer is half over. But our cup is half full. So why don’t you take the time to visit Century Walk’s latest addition to Naperville’s public art collection – the Gold Star Families Memorial at Veterans Park on Gartner Road.
This memorial is the first in the State of Illinois and was dedicated on Saturday, May 27, 2023, and was created in partnership with the Woody Williams Foundation as a lasting tribute to the families who have lost a loved one in the service to our country.
It is Century Walk’s way of remembering the sacrifice that so many have made over the years to protect our independence, which is what the Fourth of July is all about. It joins other memorials in our public art collection — the Doughboy and Sailorboy at Burlington Square, as well as the Veterans Valor at Washington Street and Van Buren Avenue.
About Century Walk
The Century Walk Corporation, founded in 1996, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing public art to Naperville, to add beauty to the town, build community and bridge generations by paying tribute to over 200 years of Naperville history through a diverse collection of murals, mosaics, sculptures and more.
Learn more about 50-plus pieces of Naperville public art at www.centurywalk.org.
