FARMINGTON — A Blue Star Highway marker was dedicated on Monday, May 26, in the triangle at the intersections of routes 2, 4 and 27 across from the Department of Health and Human Services building in Farmington.

More than 70 people, including Scouts, area and state officials and community members attended the service and unveiling of the marker. Mt. Blue Area Garden Club started the project in addition to the work done at the Teague World War I Memorial. In October 2024, members Libby Kaut [who did most of the work on the project] and Rachel McClellan, president obtained approval from the Select Board to install the marker.

McClellan told the Select Board then that the club had help raising funds for the marker. Franklin County commissioners had agreed to use some American Rescue Plan Act funds towards it, she noted. Route 2/4 is already designated as a Blue Star Highway, she said then.

“Thank you for joining us this Memorial Day as we gather in remembrance and respect for those who have served and sacrificed and to dedicate a new and lasting tribute here at the gateway to Farmington, the seat of Franklin County,” McClellan said Monday. “Today, we will unveil a town’s official memorial marker. This program, founded in 1945 by the national garden clubs, honors all who have served in the armed forces of the United States.”

McClellan said she was honored to share the dedication of the memorial marker, “in this beautiful garden to serve as a silent reminder of the gratitude we owe all who have served our country.”

Members of Girl Scout Troop 212 then led everyone in the singing of America the Beautiful, after which the Roderick-Crosby American Legion Post 28 color guard presented the American flag and Stephan Bunker, first vice commander of the post gave an invocation.

Jameson Sullivan of Wilton, a member of Boy Scout Troop 546 led the Pledge of Allegiance. Karen Ray, president of the Garden Club Federation of Maine [GCFM] was unable to attend but sent remarks for McClellan to share. “I’m proud of the work of the Mt. Blue Area Garden Club, what they have done to bring this Blue Star marker to fruition,” she read. “The club has a long history of working with community and civic organizations to honor veterans. … This marker will be a beautiful living memorial.”

Governor Janet Mills named some veterans from Farmington killed while serving, including George Crosby, Eddie Callahan [who was the first Farmington man killed in World War II], Benny Barry [a member of the Farmington High School state championship basketball team] and Leon Hemingway. She also remembered Fred O. Smith and former Legion Commander Charlie Bennett, who returned home and later died.

What did they die for, she asked. “The right to disagree, the right to express an opinion, whether anyone listens or not, the right to pray or not to pray, the right to ask for government assistance, to be free of government intrusion,” she stated. She thanked all veterans for whom the plaque is dedicated, noting they protected freedoms and liberties for all. “We must protect them every day, not take our rights for granted.” she said.

“We helped a little bit, but the credit goes to the garden club, they did the work,” Commissioner Bob Carlton said. “On behalf of commissioners, we’re happy, pleased to help support this monument. If you travel anywhere in the country, you come across Blue Star markers.”

The markers remind Carlton of his dad who was a veteran. “He was shot down on his last mission over Germany, captured, a POW, escaped, and it just goes from there,” he said. The marker will be another great testament to veterans, he noted.

“It’s not lost on me that we also recognize this symbol of our thanks and recognition today, Memorial Day,” Farmington Police Chief Kenneth Charles stated. “This marker stands not only as a symbol of honor and as a daily reminder to the courage, sacrifice and steadfast service of those who wear and have worn the uniform of the United States military. The blue star has long represented hope, pride and love of country, the values that define our nation.”

Positioned along one of the town’s busiest byways, the marker gives direction, Charles said. “How we got here and where we are going and to whom we need to give thanks for our freedoms today,” he noted. “Let us pause to remember and to say thank you to those who have served and the families who stand behind them in strength and devotion.”

“I smile every time I come to one of these dedications, because the program started with a bunch of ladies who wanted to honor veterans coming back from World War II,” Linda Redman, GCFM Blue Star Memorial program chair,  said. The first effort was hard to replicate, now there are over 7,000 miles of Blue Star Memorial Highway markers from Hawaii to Alaska, she noted.

Redman displayed a small white flag with a red border and a blue star at its center. The Blue Star Highway marker was designed after that flag, she said. A blue star was used to identify families with a loved one serving their country, a gold star is for a family who lost a loved one while serving their country, she explained.

Erica Hayward [incoming Mt. Blue Area Garden Club president], Carlton, Bunker and Randall Gauvin [Farmington selectman] then unveiled the marker that had been installed by Philip Hutchens, Public Works director and his staff. Carlton, Bunker and McClellan placed a wreath nearby.

“It’s an honor to represent the town of Farmington, to be able to accept the Blue Star Highway marker,” Gauvin said. “That looks great. It’s visible on both sides, which is good.”

“The Blue Star Highway marker pays homage to our families and friends and neighbors who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice,” Bunker said. The marker signifies the incredible contribution service members have made and continue to make to society, he noted. Whenever you see a marker like this one, remember to take a moment to honor the sacrifices of those who came before, he stated.

Michael Recco of Farmington played taps on his trumpet.

“On behalf of the garden club, we hope this Blue Star Memorial marker stands as a quiet witness to courage, a public act of remembrance and a heartfelt message of gratitude from this community to all who have served,” McClellan stressed.