By Al Stasch

At one time it was called Main Street - before the town grew up around it. When the town was first built you had to travel on the street to go to the movies, to get groceries and cross it to go to the bank. Over the next 90 years a lot changed. The movie house closed. The grocery store moved away - and the bank did too. Even the name of the street changed. Main Street would never be the same.

Now that stretch of concrete and asphalt is getting a new honor. Two blocks of what was Main Street, now Kenilworth Avenue in Villa Park, from Villa to Myrtle will be designated Honorary Veteran’s Parkway. The two block section leads from Villa Avenue to a park named Cortesi Veterans Memorial Park. It is where an Army Nike missile angles to the sky and the seals of each United States Military service branch is displayed on a brick wall below the American flag.

On Veteran’s Day people gather in the Park to honor the memory of fallen soldiers. It is a place where you can sit and reflect. A Park where children play and ride their bikes from the Great Western Trail to the Illinois Prairie Path. At one time the town gathered there to celebrate Summerfest. Before that, Villa Park came to the Park for the Oktoberfest. And although the festivals outgrew the Park, the original purpose for the Park prevailed - honoring Veterans.

Although the section of the new Honorary Veteran’s Parkway is not the geographic center of town and not the center of business, it arguably lies in the center of the history of Villa Park. By designating these two blocks in honor of Veterans this place will always remind Veterans and their families that the Village remembers how important Veterans are to our country.

The Villa Park Village Board unanimously approved a resolution to place signs along the street to honor Veterans. The resolution was drafted by Interim Village Manager Eric Dubrowski. A letter explaining the proposal was received and distributed by Trustee Deborah Bulllwinkel. After a reading of the resolution - Trustee Jeff Blankensop offered a motion to approve the resolution. Trustee Dave Hegland offered a second. Then the matter was voted on with unanimous consent by the remaining Trustees - Albert Bulthuis, John Davis, Robert Taglia, Deborah Bullwinkel and finally the Village President - Tom Cullerton.

There will be a dedication ceremony which will be determined by the Village of Villa Park in coordination with the VFW Post 2801 Commander - Dennis Geisman. The already scheduled Welcome Home DuPage Veterans event on September 25, 2010 is a probable date for the dedication. However it is not confirmed.

What is confirmed is that Kenilworth Avenue will regain a prominent place in Villa Park. A permanent reminder to all Veterans that we will always remember and thank them for their service in the military.