Veterans Memorial Park sits on Paige Place at Lake Miramar, just off Main Street, between La Hacienda Regional Recreation Complex and Spanish Springs Town Square. If you've crossed the golf-cart bridge over U.S. 27/441, you've passed it. It has oak trees, benches and commemorative bricks, and it's open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
You have to look down to see the bricks. Last year's Veterans Day ceremony added 350 to a collection that already topped 15,000, Spectrum News 13 reported. This year's new bricks will be dedicated at the service on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Every name on them was locked in by March 31.
The Nov. 11 ceremony finishes something that started in March
The District's 2026 order form spells out the timing. To be dedicated at the Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, 2026, a brick had to be ordered by March 31, 2026. The 2025 form used the same rule, with March 31, 2025 as the cutoff for the Nov. 11, 2025 ceremony.
Here's how a brick moves through the year:
- You can order any time. The park brochure says bricks can be bought year-round.
- March 31 is the cutoff. On the last two forms, that date decided which November ceremony a brick would be part of.
- Bricks are dedicated on Nov. 11. They're dedicated each year at the Veterans Day service.
So a family planning to honor a father, a spouse or a friend at the park can't wait until fall to decide. By the time the Veterans Day announcements appear in October, this year's list is closed. An order placed after the ceremony goes into a later dedication. Call District Customer Service at 352-753-4508 to confirm which ceremony it will make.
What goes on the brick and what goes in the book
The form is one page, and a few of its details aren't obvious until you're filling it out:
- Price. $55. You can pay by cash, credit card or check, with checks made out to VCCDD.
- Dedication type. You choose "In Memory" or "In Honor," so a brick can recognize a living veteran as well as one who has died.
- What's engraved. First name, middle initial and last name. The form says in capital letters that rank will not be included.
- Where service details go. Rank, branch and years of service go in a separate "Information for Book" section, so the record of service lives with the park's book rather than on the brick.
- Accuracy. The person ordering initials a line certifying that the wording is correct as printed.
One change trips people up. The 2025 form told buyers to mail orders to the Village Community Development District at 984 Old Mill Run. The 2026 form uses 3571 Kiessel Road, The Villages, FL 32163. If you printed a form a year or two ago and saved it, get a fresh copy before you mail anything.
Why there are bricks at all
The bricks go back to the park's beginnings. According to the District's park brochure, the idea started with Frank Mezzatesta, an Ex-POW who was raising money for Ex-POWs at a local grocery store. Three teenagers stopped and asked whether "POW" stood for "People Out of Work." He decided the younger generation needed a way to learn what veterans had given the country.
A committee of veterans and patriotic organizations took on the project. The Schwartz/Morse family, The Villages' developer, donated the land and drew up the architectural design from Mezzatesta's original plans, and The Village Foundation ran the fundraising. The park was dedicated on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1998. Villages-News described the granite monument at its center as weighing about 27,000 pounds.
That explains why the brick dedication falls on Veterans Day. The park itself opened on Nov. 11, and every November since, the tradition has picked up where the first fundraising left off. More than 15,000 names have gone into the ground on the anniversary of the day the park was dedicated.
What last year's ceremony looked like
Spectrum News 13 reported that hundreds of people came to the park on Nov. 11, 2025. The Veterans Memorial Park Honor Guard opened the ceremony with the presentation of colors. Army veteran Andy Smith and Congressman Daniel Webster spoke, and a wreath was laid.
Two members of the park community explained the day to the station:
"It's very important to all those who served." Arlene Pfeuffer, Veterans Memorial Park board secretary
"We have every conceivable opportunity to honor veterans, and that is exactly what I want to be part of." Crystal Martin, VMP Honor Guard
Martin served 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. She told the outlet that the honor guard and the Tri-County Women Veterans group are how she gives back to the veterans who served before her. Tri-County Women Veterans is also one of the many groups invited to bring a unit flag to park services. The brochure's roster includes American Legion Post #347, Disabled American Veterans #150, Vietnam Veterans of America #1036, Korean War Veterans Chapter #169, Villages Honor Flight, and the Marine Corps League Col. Philip C. Delong Detachment #1267.
This year's service starts at 11, an hour later than the usual time
If you've been to a service here before, you may expect the wrong start time. The park brochure says Sunday services start at 2 p.m. and all others at 10 a.m. The Villages Honor Flight events page also lists Veterans Day at 10 a.m. The official Veterans Day listing, posted Oct. 14, 2026, puts this year's service at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park at Spanish Springs. That's the most recent date-specific notice, so plan on 11 and check again the week of the service.
A few practical notes come from how the park runs. The brochure says the park is pet-free, so leave the dog at home. For this spring's Memorial Day ceremony, the Gazette News The Villages notice asked people to bring chairs. A folding chair is a sensible thing to bring on Nov. 11 too.
If a brick you ordered last winter is part of this year's group, come early. Finding one name among more than 15,000 takes longer than you'd think.
The rest of Wednesday, Nov. 11
The morning service is the first of several events that day. Here's the schedule from the official listing, with one addition from The Sharon:
- 11 a.m. Veterans Day Service at Veterans Memorial Park at Spanish Springs.
- 1 p.m. to sunset. Veterans Day Boat Cruise from the Lake Sumter Line dock.
- 5 p.m. A Tribute to Our Veterans at all Town Squares, Spanish Springs included, with the National Anthem and each branch's service song.
- 7 p.m. The Heart of Florida Choir, the Barbershop Choir, and the TVHS Choir and Band perform at The Tracy.
- All day. Veterans get 25% off select ticketed shows at The Savannah Center and The Tracy. Choose "Veteran" when buying online, or ask at the box office.
The Sharon, a short walk from the square, lists "Behind The Lines" on its November calendar for the same date. Earlier in the week, the Veterans Softball Tournament runs 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Soaring Eagle Softball Complex. On Thursday, Nov. 12, "Memphis Belle" screens at 5 p.m. at the Farragut Softball Complex.
The park's next service on its published schedule is Pearl Harbor Day on Dec. 7. The same brochure also lists spring services, among them Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans, so check with District Customer Service for next year's dates. If a name has been on your mind this November, remember that the last two forms both used March 31 as the cutoff, so plan to send the form in well before spring is over.
A brick at this park can carry a family's story long after a move. If you're downsizing or moving on from a home where those memories live, I'd be glad to talk it through with you, at whatever pace suits you. When you're ready to know where your home stands, Martha Ridgway can start with one simple step. Request Your Free Home Valuation.
