By Tim SchmidtRecord Managing EditorThe Tribute to Veterans Memorial organization has two upcoming events planned to boost its fundraising campaign.A dinner auction will be Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Warrenton Elks Lodge, located at 1101 E. Veterans Memorial Parkway. On Oct. 24, a dinner dance is scheduled to be held at the American Legion Post 122 Hall.Money raised from both events will support the ongoing campaign to have a veterans memorial constructed to honor local veterans who were either killed in action, missing in action or prisoners of war from World War I to present conflicts. It will be built near the corner of Highway 47 and Mockingbird Lane in Warrenton, on county-owned property next to the administration building.Committee members are pleased with the progress being made to reach the $250,000 project cost. Groundbreaking is anticipated to start in the spring.“We have a lot of great support from the community and the businesses and business owners,” committee member Amy Vacek said. “We appreciate the support. We are well on our way on our fundraising for the groundbreaking.”The majority of the tickets for the upcoming dinner auction have been sold, but some are still available. Tickets cost $35 per person. The event is expected to be sold out and draw close to 300 people.Doors will open at 5 p.m. and attendees will be treated to a meal, open bar and entertainment from Nashville country singer Kinsey Rose.An oral and silent auction also will be held. Some of the items to be auctioned include quilts, sporting goods equipment and jewelry. Four firearms also will be raffled.“It’s going to be great,” committee member Rick Mantione said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”Event sponsors include Steve and Sandy Ellison of Ellison Realty Holdings, silver sponsor, and The Missouri Bank, Continental Pump Co. and At Home Care, bronze sponsors.Tickets can be purchased by contacting Beth Vincent at 636-578-2407. There is also time remaining to donate auction items or be a sponsor by contacting Vacek at 636-248-8269.Once the dinner auction fundraiser is completed, organizers will then finalize details for the Oct. 24 dinner dance event.The proposed veterans memorial will feature a stone wall with the words “Some Gave All” etched on the front, with the names of deceased soldiers on the other side. At the base of the stone wall will be a reflecting pond. Flags representing each branch of the military will be on the outer perimeter of the monument, with the American and POW flags as the centerpiece. Each flag will be illuminated.The memorial may also include two bronze statues — a mother and a child — standing beside a battlefield cross.Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to the Tribute to Veterans group at P.O. Box 57, Warrenton, MO 63383. Online donations also can be made at the organization’s website at tributetoveteransmemorial.org.Tribute to VeteransRoyce Bair