Veterans Day ceremony canceled as county COVID pause prompts memorial plans

A Veterans Day ceremony scheduled for the veterans memorial outside the Baker County Courthouse was canceled when county officials imposed a two-week pause after a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, interrupting an annual gathering that draws residents even in November’s cold.

The cancellation has not stopped local veterans and county staff from pressing ahead with a longer-term effort to replace and improve the memorial on the east side of the courthouse at Third Street and Washington Avenue. Rusty Little, a member and former commander of the Baker City Veterans of Foreign Wars post, said the group is pursuing a proposal to build a new monument that would keep the brass plaques bearing the names of Baker County residents who died in U.S. wars while restoring features that have deteriorated. “I think we’re going to bring it to fruition,” Little said on Thursday, Jan. 15.

County staff and veterans organizations are exploring design options that would return an eternal flame to the site, add a bench and roof, and address crumbling stone and the lack of a power outlet that has kept the flame dark for many years. Facilities manager Dan McQuisten said a power line and a natural gas line run to the site, but no outlet was installed; the flame apparatus was removed before he started working for the county in 2014 because it was old and unreliable. McQuisten also said he would like to replace the nearby flagpole.

The project team includes Little, Rick Gloria, the county’s veteran services officer, McQuisten, the Baker Elks Lodge and Trisha Schultz, a contract grant writer who lives part-time in Baker City. Schultz noted that the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Oregon Heritage Program can cover up to 80 percent of costs to build or renovate war memorials, with the next grant cycle starting Nov. 1, 2026. “I really want to include the community in this project,” Schultz said on Thursday.

Community involvement is more than a preference: applicants for the state grant must show participation from veterans organizations and local residents. One design idea under consideration is incorporating volcanic tuffstone salvaged from the Central Building, the former high school that was destroyed in an arson fire on May 22, 2024. Although the county did not collect pieces saved from that building, it maintains a stockpile of tuffstone quarried from the same Pleasant Valley site and used in recent courthouse repairs.

The group plans to meet at the memorial Friday afternoon to discuss possible designs, potential costs and grant strategy. Residents who want to share design ideas or contact the planning team can email Schultz at EarlyBird@getstheworm.org.

The immediate public health pause means in-person remembrance events will be limited for now, but the push to rebuild and improve the memorial gives the community time to craft a lasting tribute that preserves names and local stone, secures state grant funding and lets veterans and neighbors shape the site before the next formal ceremony.