by Logan Gruber
In four days, The Wall that Heals will arrive in Sauk Rapids for the Benton County Fair.
The wall is a 250-foot traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is located in Washington, D.C. It was originally unveiled on Veterans’ Day, 1996, and was designed to travel around the United States, bringing the Vietnam memorial to communities throughout the country. Throughout the years, the wall has visited more than 400 cities and towns, allowing thousands of veterans the ability to visit the wall near their own homes.
The wall will arrive in the city on Tuesday, Aug. 4, coming over the Sauk Rapids bridge into downtown around 11:30 a.m., then heading down Benton Drive toward the main entrance to the Benton County Fair. The wall is expected to arrive at the fairgrounds around 11:45 a.m.
An opening ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at the fairgrounds. The wall will be open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 5-9 during the fair. A closing ceremony at the wall will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9.