MERIDIAN, Idaho — Last weekend in Meridian, the 2023 Idaho Women Veterans Memorial Car Show Fundraiser raised more than $3,000. The money will be used to help build a statue honoring a local hero at the Idaho Veteran's Garden.
The event showcased classic cars, and offered family fun through a photo booth, food trucks, vendors and more, all while raising money for the Idaho Women Veterans Memorial.
Carrie French of Caldwell was the first Idaho woman killed in combat when she died in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in 2005. She was just 19 years old. The memorial will pay tribute to French and all of Idaho’s female veterans.
Organizers of last weekend's car show said the Idaho Women Veterans Memorial will serve as a powerful symbol of our state's gratitude to the brave women of our military. It will be a place of remembrance, reflection and recognition, and it will provide a lasting tribute to the more than two million women who have served our country since the Revolutionary War.
"All the money that is raised, as well as for future events, is going straight towards the memorial," Katrina Schweitzer said. "So, it'll be for building the memorial, enhancing the memorial, as well as restoring – if there is that opportunity later on."
Back in March 2022, artist Benjamin Victor, along with Idaho Veterans Garden project manager, Daniel Pugmire, and family and friends of Carrie French gathered for a photoshoot to create an artist rendering of what the statue for the Idaho Women Veterans Memorial will look like.
According to the Idaho Veteran's Garden, the memorial launch and site layout is complete, in addition to the photoshoot to create the statue.
A rendering of the Idaho Women Veterans Memorial and KTVB footage of the photoshoot last spring is included below:
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