There was no mistaking the sounds that made their way through the Finger Lakes Tuesday afternoon. The roar of hundreds of motorcycles that led an escort that included law enforcement and Corvettes brought “The Wall That Heals” to the village of Penn Yan.
The three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its Mobile Education Center will be open to the public at the Firemen’s Field starting Thursday morning at 10 following a Welcoming Ceremony. Volunteers will spend today erecting the 7.5-foot high, 375-foot long black panels that are etched with the names of 58,281 fallen service members.
The public will have access to “The Wall” around the clock until Sunday afternoon at 2 when the exhibit closes.
Since its debut in 1996, the Wall has been on display in more than 700 U.S. communities. The four-day stop in Penn Yan is its only visit to New York State in 2024.
That Wall made its way through several Finger Lakes communities on Tuesday:
Retired FLX Local Media employee John Wiedemer, a Vietnam War veteran, was one of the almost 300 motorcyclists who led the Wall from Auburn to Penn Yan.
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