Deerfield's Field of Honor Starts Long Before the Flags Go Up in Jewett Park

This Saturday morning, October 24, volunteers will be putting flags together at the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department, 500 Waukegan Road, from 8 a.m. to noon. It is the same station that held its open house and blood drive on October 3. Most of Deerfield will see these flags only once they are standing in Jewett Park, more than two weeks from now.

Those flags are the Field of Honor, which runs November 9 through 13 and carries the theme "Honoring Our Veterans." In its September 30 announcement, the Village of Deerfield counts 600 flags. The organizer's event page still lists 500. Either way, the display is the last step of a three-week effort run by Deerfield's public agencies together with the American Legion, and residents can help at almost every step.

Seven partners run it together

In September, the Deerfield Park District announced that it had won the Intergovernmental Cooperation Award from the Illinois Association of Park Districts' Best of the Best Awards program, and the Field of Honor was the reason. The award was to be presented to Park District staff at the IAPD gala on October 7. It recognizes the work of seven bodies:

• Deerfield Park District
• Village of Deerfield
• Deerfield Police Department
• Deerfield Public Works
• Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department
• Deerfield Public Library
• The American Legion National Headquarters

Patch reported on October 12 that the event is presented by the Village and hosted by the Deerfield Police Department, working with the park district, public works, the fire department, the library and the local American Legion. The parts that need the most hands are the ones the public never sees: putting the flags together at a fire station, driving rebar into park ground and pulling it back out a few days later.

This is not the first year. In 2025, the Village described a 500-flag display that ran November 7 through 11, organized with the Village, the Police Department, the Fire Protection District, the Public Library, the Park District and Deerfield American Legion Post 738. That display ended on Veterans Day. This year's runs Monday, November 9, through Friday, November 13, so Veterans Day on Wednesday falls in the middle of the week. That leaves two days on either side of the holiday to visit.

The calendar, from assembly to removal

Each step below has a date and a job. The volunteer shifts are posted on the Field of Honor signup page.

1. Saturday, October 24, 8 a.m. to noon. Flag assembly at the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Department, 500 Waukegan Road.
2. Friday, November 6, 9 to 11 a.m. Veterans Pancake Breakfast & Musical Salute at the Patty Turner Center, 375 Elm Street. This is a separate event, covered below.
3. Monday, November 9, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Setup in Jewett Park. The signup describes the job as installing rebar and placing the flags.
4. Monday, November 9 through Friday, November 13. The display is open in Jewett Park. The Park District calendar lists it as "All Day."
5. Wednesday, November 11. Veterans Day, in the middle of the run.
6. Friday, November 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Removal: taking down the flags and pulling the rebar.

The setup and removal shifts both fall on weekdays during work hours. The October 24 assembly is the one shift on a Saturday. Patch also lists daily operations during the display as a volunteer role.

What $35 pays for, and where the money goes

The simplest way to take part is to dedicate a flag. According to the Deerfield Park District, a $35 donation puts a flag in the field in a veteran's name, and the flag is yours to keep once the display comes down. The Village's announcement also invites people to dedicate a flag to a "personal hero," not only a veteran.

The proceeds go to two organizations. Midwest Veterans Closet gives free food, clothing, household goods and durable goods to veterans and active-duty military personnel, and its homepage says it serves military families too. Lake County Honor Flight pays for multi-day trips to Washington, D.C., so veterans can visit the memorials at no cost. It is an independent hub of the Honor Flight Network and has served veterans since 2013.

The breakfast that comes three days before

The Field of Honor is the biggest event of the week, but the Patty Turner Center starts things off the Friday before. Its Veterans Pancake Breakfast & Musical Salute runs Friday, November 6, from 9 to 11 a.m. at 375 Elm Street. Tickets are $25 for residents and $35 for nonresidents. Veterans eat free but must register. The center's fall bulletin sets the registration deadline at Monday, November 2. The entertainment comes from the center's own groups, the Hummers and Strummers and the Forever Fit dancers.

Two more dates at the center fall before the breakfast. On Sunday, October 25, the day after flag assembly, the Deerfield Community Band plays its Autumn Winds concert there. On Thursday, October 29, the center holds a Halloween lunch with Italian Kitchen.

Walking the field during the week

The display will be in Jewett Park near the community center at 836 Jewett Park Drive, and admission is free. The Village calls it open to the public and encourages visitors to walk among the flags. Each flag stands for a person, which explains why the dedications matter.

The Park District calendar lists the display as "All Day" for each of the five days. For other details, including any program on Veterans Day itself, the organizer's Deerfield event page and the Village's news page are the places to check as the week gets closer.

The flags go up Monday morning, stay through Wednesday's holiday and come down Friday morning. If you dedicate a flag, it goes home with you after removal.

If you plan to be in Jewett Park that week or volunteer at the fire station on Saturday, and you'd like to talk about anything else going on in Deerfield this season, Ron Ehlers is glad to help. Let's Connect.