Officials to dedicate bell

Commissioners are close to their goal of paying for the monument with donations.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
LISBON -- Columbiana County commissioners are planning a Veterans Day ceremony to dedicate a bicentennial bell and the new monument on which it will be mounted.
The county held a ceremony earlier this summer to mark the initial completion of the granite monument itself, which stands outside the county courthouse's main entrance.
But the monument remains unfinished until its top is crowned with a 250-pound bronze bell.
Part of state program
The bell was cast earlier this summer as part of a state bicentennial program that entails having bells made for each of the state's 88 counties.
The state paid for the bells. Counties are responsible for finding a home for them.
That prompted Columbiana County to have the monument created earlier this summer.
The bell will hang above inscriptions noting the names of Medal of Honor recipients either from the county or buried here.
Commissioner Gary Williams said Friday that a Nov. 11 Veterans Day bell dedication ceremony at the monument will continue the theme of honoring veterans.
Fund raising to pay for the $20,000 monument has been ongoing, and commissioners are closing in on their goal of paying for the monument entirely through donations.
Inscribed bricks
Bricks are being sold for $50 each that will be inscribed according to the buyer's wishes. The inscribed bricks will be installed in a pad that lies in front of the monument. About 165 bricks have been sold. People who want inscribed bricks installed in time for the Veterans Day ceremony must order them by Oct. 1, Williams said.
Donations also are being solicited. Givers of $1,000, $500 or $250 will have their names inscribed on plaques attached to the monument.