Northern Colorado military veterans and their families and members of the community celebrated the grand opening of Veterans Plaza in Fort Collins—a site of celebration, reflection and congregation honoring military service—on May 29..

The plaza is located at the west end of Horsetooth Road, at the south entrance to Spring Canyon Park.
Veterans Plaza consists of an amphitheater with seating for 500, a statue depicting a soldier holding a child, a stage, a garden, and interactive walls commemorating the service of veterans with ties to Northern Colorado. 

The garden will contain soils from around the globe from battlefields, cemeteries and military instillations. Fifty trees, each commemorating the service of a veteran or active-duty service member, will line a walkway and are available for personal dedications.

Two natural rock walls feature flat-screen monitors with the names of veterans continually scrolling and updated to remind visitors of those who have made and currently are making sacrifices for the nation’s freedom. The plaza serves to educate, inspire and commemorate.

“This plaza honors all veterans with ties to Northern Colorado, and stand as a testament to the power of patriotism and military service,” said Diggs Brown, a major in the Colorado Army National Guard, and co-chair of the Veterans Plaza planning committee.

There is no charge to list a veteran at the plaza, only proof of honorable service and a tie to Northern Colorado. Tax-deductible donations are being accepted to finish the plaza.