Town and Country's Military and First Responders Tribute was supposed to be finished by Veterans Day 2025. Instead, the city scheduled its grand opening for Veterans Day 2026, Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 11 a.m. to noon at Town Square, 13360 Clayton Road. Three and a half weeks later, on Saturday, Dec. 5, Winterfest comes back to the same square.
That order of events shows how much the square has changed. In December 2024 it was simply where the city held Winterfest. The 2025 program put a time capsule installation on the schedule next to the tree lighting. The next addition is a monument with a $300,000 budget raised entirely from private donors, and its opening is set for Veterans Day. The city's holiday season opens and closes on ground that keeps picking up permanent features.
A one-year goal that took two
At the groundbreaking, Alderman Sue Allen of Ward 4 hoped for a quick finish. "We hope to have the tribute completed by Veterans Day next year and be back here for a ribbon cutting, if not before then," she said, according to West Newsmagazine's coverage of the ceremony. The city's own records show the project's timeline:
- Nov. 11, 2024. The city held the groundbreaking on Veterans Day. The Board of Aldermen called it a successful event at its meeting the next night.
- Mar. 24, 2025. The Board passed Resolution No. R05-2025, directing the city administrator to sign a construction agreement with Musick Construction for the Tribute.
- Feb. 2, 2026. The Parks & Trails Commission heard that construction costs were running $40,000 above the earlier estimate. Work had started on reducing the scope and raising more money.
- Nov. 11, 2026. The city scheduled the grand opening at Town Square for 11 a.m. to noon.
Set against the $300,000 budget, the $40,000 gap is about 13 percent. For a project paid for entirely by donations, closing that gap meant asking donors for more or trimming the design, and the commission minutes say the city had started on both at once.
What the design asks of someone who stops by
The plans West Newsmagazine described at the groundbreaking call for a "reflective walk around a solitary stone" engraved with four words: duty, sacrifice, courage and valor. A seating wall embossed with military and first-responder crests runs alongside, and an American flag hangs on the stone. West reported this as the planned wording of the dedication plaque:
"Dedicated to those who served and continue to serve our country. Veterans, active military and first responders – from a grateful community."
Allen described the purpose in the same article. "This will be a quiet, respectful place where people can sit and think and appreciate the active military members, veterans and first responders," she said.
Because the city began working on a smaller scope in early 2026, some details of the finished Tribute may not match the rendering published in 2024. The core idea of a stone, a walk and a place to sit is what turns the square into somewhere to stop on an ordinary weekday, outside any festival.
Paid for by people who live and work nearby
The money came from residents, local businesses and nonprofits, with none of the $300,000 budget coming from city funds, West reported. The city's Board of Aldermen minutes record the donations as going into its Public Art Fund for the Tribute.
One donor named in the coverage is the Stupp Bros. Bridge and Iron Co. Foundation Trust. Army veteran John Stupp Jr. came to the groundbreaking and talked about his family's military service, which goes back to his great-great grandfather in World War I.
Volunteers did the organizing. Mayor Charles H. Rehm Jr. formed a task force led by Allen, with Michelle Francisco, Meg Johnson, Skip Mange, George Roman and Larry Toomey as members. Meg Johnson also appears on the 2026 roster of the Parks & Trails Commission, the body that tracked the Tribute's costs this year.
Longview had its own year of construction
Town Square is one of the city's two main gathering places. The other is Longview Farm Park at 13525 Clayton Road, and it saw just as much work this year. That matters because the next big event, the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, is held there.
- The parking lot. In February, the Parks & Trails Commission planned for MSD approval, a construction contract in May and work starting in September. By the Public Works Commission's September meeting, the lot had been paved and striped, with MSD requirements still being worked through.
- The bridge. Before the 2025 Turkey Trot, Alderman Murphy said the Longview Park bridge had been temporarily repaired and could be used for the race. On March 30, 2026, the Parks & Trails Commission listed the bridge repair as complete.
- Preservation Park. On Aug. 10, 2026, the Board approved a design-build agreement with American Ramp Company for a pickleball and bike playground at Preservation Park.
The Turkey Trot is on the city calendar for Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 26, at 9 a.m. at Longview Farm Park. Last year was the race's 75th anniversary. It had a 3-mile walk/run at 9 a.m., a half-mile kids' fun run at 10 a.m., race-day registration and T-shirt pickup inside the Longview Farm House, and shuttles from First Church of Christ Scientist from 8 to 11 a.m. The city used the same setup for Fire & Ice at Longview on Oct. 3, according to West Newsmagazine's preview: a free shuttle from the same church, with Longview's lot held for ADA parking and event vendors. That preview also listed Whiskey Morning as the band and a drone show supported by Peoples National Bank, Mari de Villa and Principia School.
Winterfest returns to Town Square
The city calendar lists Winterfest at Town Square on Saturday, Dec. 5, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. The city posted its Winterfest announcement on Oct. 6, 2026, with a link to the event page. The calendar listing and the city's Winterfest page are where this year's program will be posted.
For comparison, here is what the city announced for Winterfest on Dec. 6, 2025, which ran from 1 to 7 p.m.:
- Shopping, live music, dance performances and Santa's Workshop
- Santa arriving by fire truck at 2 p.m.
- Food, drinks and sweets throughout the day
- The tree lighting at 5:30 p.m., together with the time capsule installation
- Winterfest After Dark from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with fire pits, the River Blenders Chorus and lights donated by Bloom Lawn and Lights
- Peoples National Bank as presenting sponsor
This year's listing ends at 5:30 p.m., the same time last year's tree lighting started. The event page is the place to check whether the evening portion comes back.
The time capsule was scheduled for installation at last year's tree lighting, on the same lawn where the Tribute's opening was set for Nov. 11.
If you're curious how Town Square, Longview and the city's yearly calendar fit into daily life on your own street in Town and Country, Meggin Martin is always glad to talk it through, whether that's over coffee or on a walk around Town Square. Let's connect.
