CLINTON - Organizers want to make Tuesday's Veterans Day service special because it may be the last at Weldon Springs State Recreation Area, scheduled to be closed Nov. 30 by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

A ceremony is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Veteran's Point. While the fight continues to keep the park open, organizer Debbie Douglas said the ceremony is all about the veterans.

"That's why Weldon Springs and the Veteran's Point Memorial is the perfect spot to have this," Douglas said. "Weldon Springs is the only state park that has a memorial honoring our veterans for all times."

More than 1,300 names of veterans from 28 states are immortalized in granite at the site.

"We're hoping it won't be the last one we have out there," Douglas said. "Just in case, though, we're coordinating efforts with as many veterans groups as we can so we can have a nice crowd and a nice ceremony."

Local Amvets and VFW groups are donating flags to students, including those from Webster School in Clinton, who are expected to be in attendance. Speakers include Peter Thomas from Lincoln's Challenge Academy in Rantoul, a military-based school run by the Illinois National Guard; Ernest Thorp, a World War II veteran; Clinton Mayor Ed Wollet, a former POW; state Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington; and state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth. An invitation has been sent to Blagojevich, Douglas said.

"We're not expecting the governor to come, but we want to make sure he realizes that Weldon Springs Park is being used and that it is important to all of us," Douglas said.

Wollet said everyone, including veterans and their families, is invited.

"With the memorial and Veterans Day, we hope that we have many more ceremonies like this at Weldon Springs," Wollet said. "The veterans should be recognized for the sacrifices they have made to our country, and we look forward to doing that Tuesday."

kbarlow@pantagraph.com