On Thursday, June 4 at 11 a.m. the Vietnam Memorial Traveling Wall will open to the public at VFW Post 3289 in New York Mills. During the four days the traveling wall will be in New York Mills there will be special programs each day at 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. June 4, at 7 p.m. the Wadena Area Concert Band will perform in the bandshell. All the events are free and open to the public.

"The Wall" will arrive on June 3, with an escort led by the Patriot Guard. The motorcade will begin in Perham and travel east on Highway 10 to the New York Mills VFW. Volunteer crews will work through the night to install the 80 percent size replica (370 foot long and 8 ½ foot tall). Guards will be posted 24 hours a day and there will be many performances, presentations and speeches to honor veterans through the four day event. The centerpiece of the exhibit commemorates the 58,253 American military personnel (eight were women) who were direct casualties of the war, including about 1,300 who are still considered Missing in Action (MIA). In addition, the exhibit includes The Cost of Freedom Memorial, honoring those who gave their lives for our freedom since Vietnam, including present day Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom as well as tributes to WWII veterans.

For more information call 218 385-3510 or 218 346- 7678 or visit www.ITOWmuseum. org