The Italian American Veterans Museum is proud to present “Forgotten Treasures: The Military Monuments of Illinois”

A retired Army Major with a lifelong interest in  military history, Lorenzo Fiorentino watched for decades as Illinois’ military monuments faded into obscurity and fell into disrepair. In January of 2018, he decided to do something about it.  Traveling the length and breadth of the state to research and photograph these stirring acts of devotion, he assembled the material into a book that was published in the summer of 2019. “It truly was a labor of love,” Fiorentino says.

A richly illustrated 128-page volume, “Illinois Military Monuments” celebrates 85 of our state’s many moving military tributes. Among them are memorials as high-profile as the statue of Capt. Abraham Lincoln in Dixon and as obscure as the plaque to the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Woods on Thatcher Avenue in River Forest. Those monuments and many more will be revealed in a lively AV presentation, followed by a book signing.

The museum will be open at 2 p.m., with light refreshments served. Admission is free, but donations are welcome and RESERVATIONS ARE A MUST.  Call 708-338-0690 and leave your name, phone number and the number of people in your party. For directions to the museum, visit www.iavmuseum.org.