With temperatures starting to warm up, Cleveland's Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is gearing up to host multiple events this spring.
Tours
On April 29 and 30, the monument will be hosting its annual tunnel tours, according to a news release for the historic landmark.
The tours will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets for the tour go on sale April 6 for $5.
"The concentric system of tunnels and walls beneath the Monument was built in 1893 and serves as its foundation," the news release states. "This system supports the weight of the structure and distributes that weight evenly over the entire footprint of the granite, marble and sandstone Monument. The Monument’s Memorial Room is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. year-round but with special guest guides available on the Tunnel Tour event dates."
Flowers
In May, the monument will be beautified with its annual flower planting.
The flower plantings are hosted on the first three Wednesdays in May from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"The Monument invites the public to see the grounds transform for spring with more than 15,000 flowers in the beds surrounding the structure," representatives said. "The displays are designed to replicate the Corps and G.A.R badges and other Civil War imagery using red and white begonia, blue mink ageratum, marigolds and dusty miller. Wednesday, May 17 marks the final planting day for 2023."
Health Fair
For the first time ever, a Veterans' Mental Health Fair will be hosted at the monument on May 20. The event will bring together mental health resources for veterans, the news release states.
The event will also feature an exhibition highlighting the regimental mascots, or military mascots, of the Civil War. These mascots were "a pet animal maintained by a military unit as a mascot for ceremonial purposes or as an emblem of that unit," representatives said.
Memorial Day
On May 30, a Memorial Day service will be held from 11 a.m. to noon to honor local veterans. The service will be held on the northwest steps and a local veteran will provide remarks.
News 5 profiled the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument as part of our "Hidden Gems of Cleveland" series and found that there is a lot more to the monument than meets the eye. Watch the segment below:
RELATED: There's more than meets the eye at Cleveland's Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
