Friends of Veterans Memorial Circle

10/12/2026

When you open up this story, check out the background of the photo by Jeffery S Whitford Photography of the three presenters. You will see our project shine.

As we watched this ceremony Saturday morning honoring the oldest grave of a war veteran in Rockford, the roses and canna lilies at the north end of the north median caught our attention — and that of other attendees too.

We were proud to tell visitors this extensive beautification of a veterans’ memorial is all a community effort!

A new historical marker honors a Revolutionary War veteran buried at Rockford's oldest cemetery.
📰Full story🔗⬇️

10/12/2026

STILL A LOT OF COLOR: From roses on the south end cap, to popcorn plants at the walls, to zinnia on the medians, to snapdragons and marigolds and salvia in the raised beds on the southwest side, there are big blooms this late in the year at Veterans Memorial Circle.

Many thanks to the community volunteers and donors who make this ambitious project honoring our veterans and military families happen every year. 🙏🏼❤️

09/19/2026

💮🌺 THANK YOU, AUBURN BED ADOPTERS 🌺💮 Every year, volunteers with our project also beautify the two dozen sidewalk plots along Auburn Street on the east approach to Veterans Memorial Circle.

As a volunteer with this part of the project, a community member adopts a 4- by 12-foot plot by clearing it of debris and overgrowth in the spring, planting it with flowers they buy themselves however they choose to place them, and keeping it w**ded throughout the summer. The city provides mulch, which Ernie delivers, and Ernie and his dutiful assistant, Bader, do the watering. Several volunteers adopted more than one plot this year!

Other years, we’ve had a contest for the top 3 beds, with the winning adopters scoring gift cards to North End businesses. This year, thanks to a volunteer who wanted to show support despite not being able to do heavy lifting as a gardener, we have been able to collect gift cards and certificates *for all* our Auburn Street volunteers!

Our local businesses understand the commitment being made by community volunteers who take pride in the ownership of a beautification project that shows veterans and military families gratitude from all of us. Here is some of the beauty along Auburn Street from Cumberland to the circle in 2026.

This entire area has become the gateway to the North End.

Many thanks to the following North End businesses for each providing multiple gift cards/certificates: Anna's Pizza, Culver’s, Deli Italia, Guiseppe's Italian Restaurant, Pinnon Meats, The Olympic Tavern, and Winnie Nutter. And much appreciation goes to Vickie Fogel for the dedication in securing these awards.

If you would like to adopt an Auburn Street plot for 2027 beautification, please let us know. This is a wonderful opportunity to let you gardening creativity shine for a good cause. For details, please message us here.

08/27/2026

🌱 FINAL WEEDING MEET-UP OF THE SEASON: This Thursday night, Aug. 27, will be our last 2026 gathering to w**d the gardens of Veterans Memorial Circle as a group.

🦺🦺 As always, we’ll meet for safety vests at 6:30 p.m. on the patio of The GOAT Pub and Grill — where the first round afterward will be on us (project co-chairs Helen and Ernie).

Our focus will be the flag circle.

⭐️⭐️ PLEASE NOTE: While this will be the last *w**ding* meet-up for this year, it won’t be our last time working here as a group for the 2026 season. As we get closer to first frost, we will be announcing times to meet to dig up canna lilies.

08/20/2026

NO WEEDING MEET-UP Aug. 20: We (co-chairs Ernie and Helen) will be out of town this Thursday night.

Our next regular weekly w**ding get-together will be at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27.

Send a message to learn more

08/13/2026

update *** still on for tonight — a little rain won't stop us! ***
🌱THURSDAY-NIGHT WEEDING: We’re making headway on the north median, but still could use help there. Plus, the rain has encouraged w**ds at the flag circle and the walls.

We would love for you to join us HOWEVER LONG YOU CAN for this week’s w**ding get-together!

⏰ We start at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, and work until sunset.
📍 Meet at The GOAT Pub and Grill patio.
🦺Sign in and get a safety vest.

Knee issues? No worries. We have pulling tools that don’t require bending.

🍺🍺First round afterward is on us, project co-chairs Helen and Ernie!

08/10/2026

💦 📢 UNEXPECTED GOOD NEWS: Friday morning, we got an email from the city’s Public Works department—with the two photos attached (see timestamps)—notifying us of an expansion to the irrigation system at Veterans Memorial Circle.

This news is a 60-pound weight lifted off our shoulders!

Here are the improvements:

ℹ️ After nearby turf heads were modified to reach farther, the fronts of the four monument walls are now irrigated.

ℹ️ Trenching will begin soon to bring irrigation to the backs of the monument walls as well.

ℹ️ A water source has been identified to bring irrigation to the long bed on Auburn Street in front of Greenwood Cemetery.

🌟 The time savings amounts to over 3 hours a night for each watering session. During droughts like the ones we have been experiencing, the watering of these areas was nightly.

Up to this point, only the flag circle and the medians had irrigation. It’s an aging system, and Public Works has worked with us over the years to get it operating properly. They have walked the rough spots with us and shared our frustration when fixes haven’t worked. The existing system still needs tweaking, especially in the main bed under the flag; but we cannot say enough good things about what their support of our effort has accomplished thus far.

Never did we expect to see ADDITIONAL irrigation!

We are so grateful. This change frees us up to focus on other parts of maintaining this massive project—and to help a nearby beautification project (see below under SOMETHING NEW).

🌟 GOING FORWARD:

You will still see us out there watering the other areas. With one or both of our mobile watering systems (Rosie holds 300 gallons; her backup holds 275 gallons), we will continue to hand-water:
💦 The 24 sidewalk plots on Auburn Street adopted by the community.
💦 The two beds in the city parking lot, where the farmers market is held.
💦 The hosta garden under the mural.
💦 We also use our mobile systems to fertilize the entire area. That will be ongoing.
💦 And with our daisy-chain soaker hoses, we will be watering the four raised beds in front of the businesses on the southwest side of the roundabout.

🌟 SOMETHING NEW THIS YEAR:

💦 Watering the end caps on Huffman Boulevard in the North End Square neighborhood.

We get many volunteers from North End Square, the neighborhood on the northwest side of the roundabout; among them are some of our most active volunteers. When we learned of their own challenges with maintaining the beds along Huffman Boulevard, a beautification project that predates ours by a number of years, we worked watering those beds into our hydration rotation.

We are grateful to be able to give back to a neighborhood that has supported us so much! With our watering help, the perennials on Huffman Boulevard now keep company with colorful annuals. If you are a North End Square resident and like what you see on Huffman, please reach out to Cyndie Hall and her team to join their project. You plant, we will water!




📸 City of Rockford Government

08/06/2026

🌱 THURSDAY-NIGHT WEEDING: Don’t you worry. We won’t send you to the flag circle. Troopers like Cyndie Hall have gotten that main bed picture-perfect (as you can see in our previous post).

🌱🌱🌱 Yet w**ds bigger than the ones Cyndie is showing here are still choking out blooms on the north median.

So please plan on joining us—however long you can—for this Thursday night’s w**ding get-together to make sure the two northernmost beds on the north median are in tip-top shape.

⏰ We start at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday.
📍Meet at The GOAT Pub and Grill patio.
✍️🦺 Sign in and get a safety vest.

ℹ️ Knee issues? No worries. We have pulling tools that don’t require bending.
🍺 First round afterward is on us, project co-chairs Helen and Ernie!

08/02/2026

Did you know TODAY is the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence?

HISTORY TWIST: Though the Declaration was adopted July 4, 1776, ink didn’t hit parchment until nearly a month later. Our nation’s founding document became official August 2, 1776.

At the very heart of our project honoring veterans, we are commemorating this day with 8,000 flowers—1,200 of them spelling out 250 four times.

Creating this living tribute to America 250, under the grand garrison flag at Veterans Memorial Circle, took an exceptional level of effort. Not only was the design tough, but upkeep has meant hand watering around an aging irrigation system, replacing flowers lost to cold snaps and tire tracks, and tackling marathon w**ding sessions.

We are so proud of what our volunteers have accomplished. Their dedication reflects the ambitious way America was born: A small group of people, with a bold idea, facing adversity, and pulling through by working together.

AN ADDED POINT OF PRIDE:
Across every search we’ve run on America 250 landscaping, we have not found any other volunteer led installation—anywhere in the country—that matches the scale of what our volunteers have nurtured and nursed at Main and Auburn in Rockford’s North End.

City of Rockford Government
Go Rockford
Rockford North End
Rockford Area Arts Council

07/30/2026

🌱 WEEDING GOAL THIS THURSDAY NIGHT: The north median!

The mighty trio of Teresa Hill, Linda Corwin-Graber and Mike Diventi who joined us last Thursday night helped clear w**ds from the two southernmost beds on the median north of Veterans Memorial Circle.

And we love them all for this serious start on the bigger of the two medians!

This week, we’re tackling w**ds on the other three beds on the north median. (Yes, there are five beds altogether on this median.)

So please join us, if you can, for this next round of w**ding. You’ll meet great people. And contribute to an important project!

⏰ We start at 6:30 p.m. every Thursday.
📍The GOAT patio
✍️🦺 Sign in and get a safety vest.

ℹ️ Knee issues? No worries. We have pulling tools that don’t require bending.
🍺 First round afterward is on us, project co-chairs Helen and Ernie!