Vietnam wall coming to Hart in July.

The late Bill Errante, who was a Vietnam veteran, stands next to the Traveling Vietnam Wall trailer at the Oceana County Fairgrounds in Hart in 2014.

Vietnam wall coming to Hart in July.

By Allison Scarbrough, Editor.

HART — A Vietnam traveling memorial wall is scheduled to make a stop at the Oceana County Fairgrounds July 8-12, according to Oceana County Department of Veterans Affairs Community Relations Representative Gina Mead.

The wall is 80 percent the size of the national monument in Washington DC, Mead said, which is the largest replica.

The wall stopped in Hart for an afternoon in 2014 as it was being towed on a trailer on its way to Ludington. This year, residents will have several days to visit the wall on display.

Inscribed on the black granite wall are the names of more than 58,000 men and women who gave their lives or remain missing.

The wall will be escorted into town Wednesday, July 8, and then set up will occur Thursday, Mead said. It will be disassembled Sunday, July 12, prior to leaving town. There will be an opening ceremony and a closing ceremony.

Residents can visit the wall any time during its stop, she said. There will be no charge for admission.

This is the first time the traveling memorial replica has been on display in Hart. “We’re very excited for the community,” Mead said. “We’re just overjoyed about it.”

Booths with veterans services will be set up on the grounds. Many veterans may not realize what services are available to them, and this will allow them to learn more about that, she said.

One of many Vietnam veterans who visited the fairgrounds during the wall’s brief stop in 2014.

The “Through The Eyes” traveling Vietnam museum will also be included in the vist.

The event is still in the planning stages, so more details will develop as it draws near.

“This is fantastic for our community,” Mead said.

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