What Deerfield's Field of Honor Paid For Last Year

Last November, 500 flags stood in Jewett Park for five days. That display raised more than $23,000. One month later, $6,442.98 was set aside for each of two Lake County veterans' organizations, and that money was expected to send four veterans to Washington, D.C.

The second Field of Honor opened Monday, November 9, and stays up through Friday, November 13. The Village's most recent notices count 600 flags, so the field is bigger than last year's. Each flag is a donation, and the park works like a ledger you can walk through. The 2025 total shows what one of these weeks turns into once the flags come down.

The 2025 Numbers, Line by Line

The full accounting came out at the Village Board of Trustees meeting on December 15, 2025. Deputy Chief Brian Budny showed a video recap and explained that the organizing committee wanted the money to stay in Lake County. To get there, the committee met with schools, community groups, the DBR Chamber and local media.

The December 15, 2025 board minutes record these results:

Representatives of both charities attended that meeting. Lisa Madden of Lake County Honor Flight and Mary Carmody of Midwest Veterans Closet thanked the Village and everyone who took part. Mayor Shapiro said the recap video was "quite inspiring."

Where the Money Lands

The two beneficiaries do different kinds of work, so a dollar given in Jewett Park ends up in two different places.

Lake County Honor Flight describes its mission as celebrating veterans with multi-day trips to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials built in their honor. Its mailing address is a P.O. box in North Chicago. You can follow its trips on the Lake County Honor Flight website. Last year's donation is the one tied to the "four veterans" figure in the board minutes.

Midwest Veterans Closet gives veterans and active-duty military personnel free food, clothing, household items and durable goods. Its work is described on the Midwest Veterans Closet website. This is the day-to-day half of the arrangement, practical help with ordinary needs.

Both organizations benefit again in 2026. Because the beneficiaries haven't changed, last year's results are the closest guide to what this week's flags will buy.

What Changed for Year Two

If you walked the field last year, three things are different this week.

The field is larger. The Village's September 30 News Flash and its October 16 and October 30 e-newsletters all put the 2026 display at 600 flags, up from 500.

It runs past Veterans Day. The 2025 display opened on a Friday and closed on Veterans Day, a Tuesday. This year it runs a full work week, Monday, November 9 through Friday, November 13, according to the Deerfield Park District listing. Veterans Day fell on Wednesday, so the field still has two days left after it. Last year, the park emptied the day after the holiday.

Every evening has programming. The Village's October 30 e-newsletter says special programs will run at Jewett Park each evening of the display, with details shared as the week arrives. For an idea of what an evening looks like, last year's opening ran from 5 to 6 p.m. and featured bagpipes, an Honor Guard presentation, the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem, remarks from Mayor Shapiro, and Vietnam veteran Dominic Sulimowski as guest speaker. Special events and speakers followed every day through Veterans Day. You'll find the Thursday and Friday programs for this year on the Village of Deerfield website.

The Village describes the 2026 event as presented by the Village of Deerfield together with the Deerfield Park District, Deerfield Public Library and Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District. The Park District listing also names the Deerfield Police Department, Deerfield Public Works and the Northshore American Legion. The local organizing committee is chaired by Brian Budny, with Cmdr. Oliver Cachola as co-chair, Amy Falasz-Peterson on fundraising, David Fitzgerald on public relations, Ray Larsen on volunteers and Robert Philipps as field coordinator.

A $35 Flag Goes Home With You

The fundraising comes down to a single transaction. A $35 donation dedicates one flag to a veteran, an active-duty service member or a personal hero. The flag stands in the field all week, and the person who dedicated it keeps it afterward. Many of the flags standing in Jewett Park this week will hang at Deerfield homes next week.

Each flag carries a dedication, and the Village invites visitors to read them as they walk the rows. There are four ways to take part, all listed on the Healing Field event page:

• Dedicate a flag for $35.
• Donate any amount.
• Sponsor the event at the $500, $1,000 or $1,500 level.
• Volunteer for setup, daily operations or teardown.

The field is free to visit, and the event says it is open to the public. If you have questions, the Park District lists the event contact at 847-794-7515.

Jewett Park's Calendar After the Flags Come Down

Jewett Park also hosts the Saturday farmers market, as we covered in our look at the downtown Deerfield Saturday morning. Once the Field of Honor is packed up on Friday, these are the next dates on the Village and Park District calendars:

1. Through November 25: leaf collection. Public Works makes one pass by each home every week. Rake leaves to the curb no earlier than the evening before your pickup, and don't park on the street on your collection day. Some collection days have moved from previous years, so check the Village map. After November 25, leaves can go in compost containers anytime or be bagged for collection through December 15.
2. By December 4: Neighborhood Hero nominations. The Village Community Relations Commission is taking nominations for the new Stronger Together Deerfield Neighborhood Hero Program. It will recommend up to five current Deerfield residents for recognition.
3. December 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Winter Market. The market fills the Patty Turner Center at 375 Elm Street with live entertainment, retail and craft booths, food vendors, children's activities and nonprofit charities.
4. December 12, 11 a.m. to noon: Jewett's Jolly Jamboree. Holiday crafts, singing, dancing and storytelling at the Jewett Park Community Center, 836 Jewett Park Drive.

For the restaurants between those dates, the Village has started "Good Taste, Deerfield," a twice-monthly e-newsletter with restaurant spotlights, featured dishes and seasonal specials. You can sign up on the Village notification page. More on the village is in our Deerfield neighborhood guide.

In 2025 the Field of Honor's results came out at a December board meeting, and the 2026 total will most likely follow the same path once the 600 flags have gone home.

At The Shore Group, we follow events like the Field of Honor because they show what Deerfield values from year to year. If you'd like to talk about life in Deerfield, from Jewett Park's calendar to the streets around it, our team is happy to help. Work With Us.