Grand opening date set for PL Memory Gardens
A public grand opening celebration for Priest Lake Memory Gardens will be held Aug. 11 at the new facility adjacent to the Priest Lake Golf Course. The four-acre site just off Highway 57 is becoming a very special place of serenity and reflection to spend time remembering and honoring loved ones with ties to the Priest Lake area.
Hours for the grand opening are noon to 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served. Site tours will be available. A ribbon cutting ceremony will open the Memory Gardens at noon.
“Everyone is invited to come visit Priest Lake Memory Gardens in person,” said Board President Don Howell. “We are pleased with our progress and to display what is planned for the future.”
“It’s important to know Priest Lake Memory Gardens is not a cemetery,” Howell said. “Instead, the goal is to provide everyone here at Priest Lake a quiet, comforting place for remembrance of those who have held Priest Lake as a very special place in their lives.”
Board Members said the project was first proposed in 2014. Ideas and planning took quite a while to materialize. Now, the site has been selected and substantial work has been completed.
The parking lot is in place, initial pathways throughout the site are finished and signage is up along Highway 57. Chairs and benches are also planned to be installed along the pathways.
Visitors to the Grand opening will see a temporary memory wall structure with about 50 metal fish plaques honoring loved ones. Donors to the garden have funded a dock now installed on the reflecting pond.
Plans will be on display for the welcome structure to be built from donations to the newly formed Founder’s Circle. A donation of $250 is requested from at least 250 people to complete the building.
Howell said donations have come from broad-based community support ranging from cash, in-kind and products for the project.
For example, Priest Lake residents Bob and Barb Stutz built a bridge on the site as a memorial for their son Zachary. These “living memorials” will be an important part of the Priest Lake Memorial Gardens, Board Members said.
Features such as alcoves, benches and a fireplace as memorials for family members are now available for purchase donations.
Further information about Priest Lake Memory Gardens can be found online at priestlakememorygarden.com or by calling Executive Director Ron Hardin at (509) 993-7143.
“We are always looking for those who are interested in working in one way or another to see this project succeed,” Howell said.
Plans call for ongoing improvements to the Priest Lake Memory Gardens each year as additional funds become available.