Perham Angel of Hope Memorial Park sets May 4 memory-block deadline

At Angel of Hope Memorial Park in Perham, a May 4 deadline determines whether a memory block will be ordered for the next season of remembrance. For families who have lost a child, the block is more than a marker. It is a public place for a name, a message and a grief that neighbors can see.

Each block includes information to remember a child who has died, and the park’s memory walls hold the names of children of all ages. The setting gives the memorial a broad reach in Otter Tail County: it is not limited to one age group or one family, but is built to hold the stories of infants, children, teens and adults remembered by parents, siblings, grandparents and others.

The Perham Area Chamber of Commerce says the park was created to bring together grieving parents, siblings, grandparents and others who mourn the death of a child. The park is listed at the corner of Third Ave and Sixth Avenue NE in Perham, and another Chamber listing gives the address as 795 6th Avenue NE. The Perham Area Foundation helps manage the park’s expenses through a designated fund, underscoring that the memorial is maintained through continuing community support.

The park has also been part of Perham’s public rituals of remembrance. It hosted the 18th Annual Christmas Box Angel of Hope Candlelight Vigil on Dec. 6, 2021 at 7 p.m., with candles provided and battery-operated candles recommended for small children. Friends of the Angel says the Angel of Hope tradition comes from Richard Paul Evans’ The Christmas Box, and the group says there are more than 120 Angel of Hope statues across the country, including six in Minnesota.

For Perham, the spring memory-block order deadline keeps that tradition active. It is the practical step that determines which names and messages will be added to the memorial wall, and it gives neighbors a chance to take part in a place designed to make child loss visible, shared and remembered.