Patriots Park wall to be dedicated on Veterans Day

AMHERST — A 68-foot long, 8-foot tall wall will be unveiled on Veterans Day, featuring 11 paintings that pay tribute to the land of plenty. Patriots Park is the continuation of a downtown Amherst art installation that's been growing for years. It began in 2011 when artist Mike Sekletar painted a mural depicting the American flag being raised on Iwo Jima near the end of World War II. Over the years, he and collaborators covered the entire side of the Janik Building on Park Avenue — additional murals honor Korean War veterans, mourn those lost in Vietnam and recognize those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. Seven artists have been commissioned to add to the atmosphere. Their paintings depict the Statue of Liberty, brothers who served in the military, a Vietnam era soldier handing out candy to children and other scenes. "What we're trying to accomplish is preserving history and promoting the arts. I think this wall crushes it," said John Sekletar, Mike's father and the driving force behind the Patriots Park project. The wall is built of sandstone to honor Amherst's official nickname, "The Sandstone Capital of the World." It will be dedicated at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11 in a ceremony at the municipal parking lot between Park and Tenney avenues. Country music legend Lee Greenwood has prepared a tribute for the occasion. He's recorded remarks and a video rendition of his hit "God Bless the USA" that will play during the Veterans Day ceremony. John Sekletar said he briefly met Greenwood several years ago at the opening of a Northeast Ohio business, and showed him pictures of the downtown murals. That evening, he received a text from Greenwood, who had stopped by to see the enormous paintings and was impressed: "He said, 'That wall is awesome, beautiful' and that he was in awe of it," Sekletar said. "I never thought anything like that could happen. When I first saw Lee, I thought he was so cool, and I feel that way even more today." A 20-foot tall video screen will be used so the entire crowd can see Greenwood's recorded performance, he said. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend. Fox 8 News personality Lou Maglio will serve, as he has for several years, as master of ceremonies. A biplane fly-over is planned, weather permitting. Sekletar said he will act as the keynote speaker at the event, though he's uncomfortable in front of a crowd. The Patriots Park wall marks the completion of a full decade advocating for projects in downtown Amherst, and he said the dedication is his "last hurrah." "I feel this year that it's special to me because this has been my passion for a long time and I want to give a history of how the wall developed," he said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.