Deerfield's Field of Honor Is Built by Hand, and Every Dedicated Flag Goes Home

For five days in November, from Monday the 9th through Friday the 13th, the U.S. flags of Deerfield's Field of Honor will stand in rows at Jewett Park. The Village puts the count at 600. Most people will see only the finished field. Behind it is a volunteer schedule that starts more than two weeks earlier, at a fire station on Waukegan Road. Each flag dedicated in someone's name also has a second life, because when the field comes down, it goes home with the person who dedicated it.

This is the second year for the display. Last year's version ran November 7 through 11, 2025, and was planned at 500 flags. This year's theme is "Honoring Our Veterans." It's free and open to the public, and visitors are welcome to walk among the flags.

The calendar runs longer than the display

The Village's volunteer signup page lays out the full schedule, and it spans three weeks:

1. Saturday, October 24, 8 a.m. to noon. Flag assembly at the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire District, 500 Waukegan Road.
2. Monday, November 9, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Field setup at Jewett Park. The listing describes the job as installing rebar in the ground and placing every flag, and it warns that the work involves manual labor.
3. November 9 through 12, afternoons and early evenings. A volunteer table at the park, staffed as a resource for visitors. The last daily shift ends at 6:30 p.m.
4. Wednesday, November 11. Veterans Day falls in the middle of the display. The table has volunteer shifts that day from 10 a.m. through 6:30 p.m.
5. Friday, November 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Flag and rebar removal.

The table shifts are volunteer hours, not posted visiting hours. The 2026 announcements give the five-day window but no public hours or ceremony times. Slots on the signup page fill and open up as people sign on, so check there for current openings.

The flag count differs depending on where you read it. The Village announcement and Patch's October 12 report both say 600. The national Field of Honor event page and the Village's October 2 e-newsletter say 500. Whichever number the field ends up holding, every flag passes through volunteer hands twice, once going in and once coming out.

A display run by half the Village

The Village of Deerfield presents the Field of Honor and the Deerfield Police Department hosts it, according to Patch. Several partners share the work.

Volunteers fill in the rest. The signup sheet shows individual residents and couples alongside groups, including an emergency medical team from Highland Park Hospital that signed up for assembly day.

What a $35 dedication actually gets you

Anyone can dedicate a flag to a veteran or a personal hero for a $35 donation. The dedication form asks for the honoree's name in a field labeled "Dedicated to/or in Memory of."

Patch reports, citing the Deerfield Park District, that a dedicated flag stands in the field during the event and belongs to the sponsor afterward. On November 13, dedicated flags leave the park with the people who sponsored them, carrying the names of the veterans and heroes they honored.

The Village describes the field this way:

"Each flag represents an individual hero and tells a unique story, creating a moving tribute that brings our community together in gratitude and reflection."

For larger gifts, the event page lists sponsorships at $500 Bronze, $1,000 Silver and $1,500 Gold. It doesn't itemize the benefits for each tier. Donations of any amount are also accepted.

Where the proceeds go

Proceeds go to two veterans organizations based in North Chicago.

Midwest Veterans Closet gives free food, clothing, and household and durable goods to veterans and active-duty military personnel. It's at 1720 N. Green Bay Road in North Chicago. Shoppers need veteran, military or dependent ID, and public shopping hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Lake County Honor Flight takes veterans on multi-day trips to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials honoring their service and sacrifices.

One organization helps local veterans with everyday needs, and the other brings them to the national memorials.

What last year's opening looked like

The 2026 schedule of speakers and ceremonies hasn't appeared yet in Village announcements. Last year's program shows what the event has looked like. The Village's November 7, 2025 e-newsletter set the opening for 5 to 6 p.m. that day, with bagpipes, an honor guard, the Pledge of Allegiance, the national anthem and remarks from the mayor. The guest speaker was Dominic Sulimowski, a Vietnam veteran. The same newsletter said special events and speakers were scheduled every day through Veterans Day.

That was the 2025 program, not this year's. For 2026 times, check the Village's News Flash page and the Field of Honor event page, which is also where you dedicate a flag, donate, sponsor or volunteer.

November 9 is a busy Monday at the Park District

The display opens on the same day the Deerfield Park District starts resident registration for its 2026–27 winter programs. Nonresident registration opens a week later, on November 16. If you plan to sign up for winter programs and also see the flags, both happen on the same Monday.

The display ends on Friday, November 13, the same day Irving Berlin's White Christmas The Musical opens at Caruso Theater. Performances run November 13–15 and November 20–22, according to the Park District's November calendar. So the volunteers who pull up the last rebar that morning finish on the same day the Park District's holiday show opens.

Jewett Park is at 836 Jewett Park Drive, near the community center. Admission to the field is free.

Whether you dedicate a flag, help plant the field on November 9 or just walk the rows on Veterans Day, I hope you'll stop by Jewett Park that week. If you or someone you know is thinking about a move, here or anywhere on the North Shore, Dana Pierson-Emering would be glad to help. Let's connect. Start your search or get a personalized home valuation.