soldiers walk memorial park

a 54 acre park dedicated to all who have served - past - present & future

BACKGROUND of my involvement

I became involved with this amazing park when I was an employee of Ashley Furniture managing all of Ashley's worldwide marketing from 2000-2005. The first time I laid eyes on this amazing park, I was nothing short of awe-struck!

Ron Wanek, Founder and Chairman came to me and challenged our department to design The War On Terror Memorial to honor those that gave their lives with the attack on The World Trade Center Towers on 9-11. Our group researched the facts, complied them and created a design that today is an incredible memorial with an actual melted steel beam from one of the Twin Towers.

When I returned to the area to live in this beautiful rural area, one of the first things I did was to visit the Memorial Park. When I came homeI went on the internet and noticed that there wasn't a website or story told about this national treasure and I called Ron and made him a simple proposal;

    Ron, if you build my dad a memorial to honor his service and sacrifice in World War II, I'll build you a website"?

His comment - "DONE DEAL" and he said I have a special place for it in the park - next to the Iwo Jima Memorial across from the WW2 Memorial" - and that's how my involvement began.

As everything progressed, Ron asked me to research, write and produce content for each conflict and memorial. A video and audio version. I was honored and agreed. Our goal was to memorialize these conflicts and sacrficies so people of all ages could gain insights and knowledge to the journey that made America great.

Below, in the first video, is the introduction and overview of the park.

​The second video is the complete narration and the award we received from Wisconsin Public Television. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did making it with the team from CCTV in Whitehall Wisconsin

about soldiers walk memorial park

No visit to Wisconsin would be complete without a tour of the beautiful 54 acre Memorial Park and its unique tribute to veterans of all wars and conflicts located just 40 minutes North of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, in Arcadia, Wisconsin. It is the largest Memorial Park in the U.S., outside of Washington D.C.

On this page below, you can take a "drone's eye view" of the park and listen to the narration of what this park is all about.

Stroll along the Avenue of Heroes, which is handicap accessible, to witness exceptional memorial statues of the fighting men and women who paid the supreme sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy today. The statue figures were designed by Ron Wanek, CEO of Ashley Furniture Industries, who is also the park's lead benefactor.

The Avenue of Heroes Walk is laid out in meters, with each meter representing one year. The Walkway covers 500 years from the establishment of Arcadia in 1848 until 2348. There are Memorial plaques noting events in the history of Arcadia

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take the complete tour.
​This video took over nine months to research film and edit. You can download THE APP - Soldiers Walk -  on the APP stores and watch it on any device

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Produced By:
The Ronald & Joyce Wanek Foundation
The City of Arcadia Wisconsin
The Arcadia Chamber of Commerce
Trempealeau County Community Television

Directed By;
Jason Lockington - Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
John Kelly - Trempealeau County Television
Bill Napier - Napier Marketing Group, Inc.

Content Research;
Ronald G. Wanek - Founder & Chairman - Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
Jason Lockington - Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
Bill Napier - Napier Marketing Group, Inc.

Written & Narrated By
Bill Napier - Napier Marketing Group, Inc.

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