A Labor Of Love: Veterans and Memorial Day Chair Crafts New Podium

ORLEANS – Kevin Hggins was moving the podium from Veterans Memorial Park at the conclusion of last year’s Memorial Day ceremony when it slipped from his clutches, splintering in the process.

“I was loading it into the back of the police truck to bring it back to the station, and I lost my grip,” he said.

Not to be deterred, he built a new one.

The new plywood podium was unveiled during Monday’s ceremony, complete with medallions on the front commemorating the various branches of the U.S. military.

“I want to give Kevin a little credit for building this beautiful podium by hand,” Andrew de Lory, who sits alongside Higgins on the town’s Veterans and Memorial Day committee, said during Monday’s ceremony. “A labor of love.”

“I spent some time trying to figure it out,” Higgins said. “We want a podium, we need a podium. But I wanted to make it so it honors veterans.”

Unlike its predecessor, which was made of particle board, the new podium is lighter and more flexible, capable of being collapsed and folded for easier transport.

“Then I just put it under my arm and carry it like a notebook,” he said. “And it takes up a heck of a lot less room.”

Higgins said he spent months planning the podium’s construction (“A lot of trial and error”), but it only took a matter of days to build. He envisions the podium will be kept for future Veterans and Memorial Day events.