The Dent Veterans Memorial was the site of an unexpected, yet fitting event recently, as it hosted its first wedding.
The ceremony transformed the feel of the memorial from one of solemn remembrance to one where celebratory memories are made.
Alicia Mostue and Mike Conklin exchanged vows in front of the memorial’s central monument this past Saturday, as several military flags waved in the warm breeze.
The bride hand-picked the location for its deep meaning and personal connection to her family.
“My father built the memorial, my husband is a veteran, and my son is a member of the (Sons of the American) Legion,” she explained.
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The memorial was completed three years ago by the Dent American Legion Post 148, and as one wedding guest and Legion member, Don Seifert, described it, “It’s one of the nicest memorials in the state.”
All of the funding and brickwork for the memorial was provided by Mostue’s father, Everett, a member of the 148 Sons of the American Legion, a group of non-veterans which works in tandem with the Legion.
The memorial displays the names of veterans from Perham, Dent, Frazee, Vergas, Richville, Ottertail and New York Mills. The names of Prisoners of War and soldiers Missing in Action are displayed in gold.
The bride and groom have known each other for about seven and a half years. They first met while working at Health Care Accessories, a branch of Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D.
Mostue is originally from Barnesville, Minn., and Conklin from Waubun, Minn., but the two currently reside in Moorhead, and work in neighboring Fargo – Conklin at the AmVet military service organization and Mostue at the CPAP Store as a patient account representative.
As soon as the couple gets the chance, they plan on taking off to Las Vegas for their honeymoon.
Kiowa Wieser-Matthews, For the Focus
