On July 4th 2024, the Milan “Baptist” Bell was officially dedicated in Wichita’s Veterans Memorial Park. With Milan citizens in attendance, a ceremony was held to unveil a plaque installed on the bell’s base containing the names of all known Veterans from Milan, Kansas. Tom Huxtable was instrumental in coordinating this event and served as Master of Ceremonies. Whenever a commemoration ceremony is held at the Park, this bell is rung to signal the beginning of the event, according to the ship’s bell time protocol, still used by the U.S. Navy. Above the names of the Milan Veterans, the plaque reads “The citizens of Milan Kansas donated this bell to Wichita’s Veterans Memorial Park to commemorate their Veterans:”. The Veterans Memorial Park Board expresses its appreciation to Milan for donating this bell. [It should be noted that Milan was founded in 1880 and census data indicates that its population peaked at 240 in the year 1910. The 2020 census shows a population of 56.]
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