New Hwy. 101 signs point motorists toward Atascadero veterans memorial
Two signs directing motorists to the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial at Atascadero Lake Park were installed along Atascadero’s stretch of Highway 101 last week.
The green-and-white signs, installed by Caltrans on Dec. 30 near the north- and southbound exits for Highway 41/Morro Road, were added to existing markers designating Highway 101 as the National Purple Heart Trail.
The signs began as a grassroots effort by local volunteers who have spent years lobbying the California Legislature to establish several patriotic projects in town.
Gaining state approval to install the signs has been a lengthy and involved process, local organizer Chuck Ward said, but remained a key move in organizers’ efforts to draw visitors to the war tribute at Morro and Portola roads.
“Hundreds of thousands of our travelers are retired veterans who get into their RVs every year and tour museums and battlegrounds,” Ward said. “Atascadero is very patriotic. We have things here that will cause people to pull off the highway and spend some time in this city.”
The Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial, which was unveiled in 2008, honors San Luis Obispo County veterans with a statue, dedication bricks and walls inscribed with the names of those who died serving their country.
The National Purple Heart Trail designation was implemented by then-Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee, who in 2009 authored a measure that designated the trail along 115 miles of Highway 101 from southern Monterey County to northern Santa Barbara County.
Purple Heart signage was placed along the stretch, letting motorists know of the designation, and now the Faces of Freedom signs accompany those wayfinding markers.
Marine Corps League Detachment No. 680 raised the money for the signs, Ward said, which cost about $1,000 each.
More information on the Purple Heart Trail and the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial can be found at www.purpleheartca101.org and www.facesoffreedommemorial.org.
Elsewhere in Atascadero, the Your American Heritage Monument at Colony Square was installed in 2013 to celebrate the nation’s beginnings with a flagpole, four bronze plaques and educational programs for local students.
This story was originally published January 5, 2015 at 3:18 PM with the headline "New Hwy. 101 signs point motorists toward Atascadero veterans memorial."