The Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial and surrounding park/national cemetery have to be one of the most beautiful places around PA. Growing up in PA as a kid…I didn’t get out much. Then I was out of the state for over a decade. So now…being back in this area feels very…new.

I was lucky enough to know someone who volunteers much of his time to the upkeep of the grounds. There are some caretakers, but much of the upkeep and annual maintenance of this area is done with the help of volunteers. The memorial itself was designed to look like a bombed-out church. The structure is elegant, somber, striking, eerie, and beautiful, all at the same time. The problem with the structure being designed for a mostly outside feel is that after every winter, there is much power washing, cleaning, and painting that needs to be done prior to Memorial Day when there are usually scheduled events and loads of visitors. Exposure to the elements creates for a large amount of tidying up!

At the end of April, on an amazingly beautiful day, I had the privilege of volunteering a few hours to chip in for this clean-up effort. We didn’t get every detail done, but we chipped away at the overall goal, interacted with a few visitors that were walking the amazing grounds, and enjoyed the sun. It was the perfect social distancing volunteer activity in a place you can’t help but feel peaceful and proud.

If you are ever in the Central/Eastern portion of Pennsylvania, you simply must look this place up and drive around. If you have experienced and enjoyed the Arlington National Cemetery, you should visit these grounds. The caretaking and professionalism is beyond measure.