Have you walked the Murrieta Through Time history walk in Town Square Park? If so, you've already seen something the Field of Honor paid for. The Rotary Club of Murrieta says proceeds from its November flag display funded that history walk and contributed to the City's Veterans' Memorial. Both sit in the same park where the flags go up each year.
Residents think of the Field of Honor as one week of flags. Over 18 years it has also left permanent fixtures in the park, and the 2026 event opens Saturday, November 7. That's 26 days from now, so there's time to sponsor a flag, sign up to volunteer, or simply plan which evening to walk the rows.
Why There Are 2,026 Flags This Year
The flag count matches the year. The Rotary Club of Murrieta says the 18th annual Field will fly 2,026 full-sized American flags in Town Square Park. The field runs from City Hall at Jefferson Avenue and Kalmia Street to the Murrieta Library, two blocks off I-15. The Rotary Club of Murrieta and the Rotary Club of Old Town Temecula present it as a community service in partnership with the City of Murrieta. Visiting is free.
Each flag is a 3-by-5-foot flag on an eight-foot pole. Sponsoring one costs $35, and the tag carries your honoree's name plus two lines about them, such as rank, branch of service, or another designation. That honoree might be a service member, a law enforcement officer, a firefighter, or a personal hero. The City described the display to Patch as honoring veterans, first responders and teachers.
The rules a sponsor needs to know:
- Online sales run through Murrieta Rotary's flag sponsorship page until Friday, November 13.
- In-person sales happen at the Rotary booth on the field, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week.
- Reposting a flag from a previous year costs $10 if it's still in good condition.
- Pickup is Saturday, November 14, and 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, November 15. Sponsors keep the flag, its ribbon and the pole it flew on, and mailing is available for an extra fee.
If your family sponsored a flag in an earlier year and kept it, the $10 repost lets that same flag fly again.
Where the $35 Goes
That sponsorship money explains the history walk. Rotary's event page describes the proceeds two ways. One section says they benefit community projects of both Rotary clubs. A more detailed section says net proceeds go to the Rotary Club of Murrieta Foundation.
The foundation's list covers scholarships, teacher grants, youth leadership programs, music and speech contests, foster youth and disadvantaged children, and responses to special community needs. In 2019 it paid for a special emergency response application for Murrieta Fire & Rescue. It also funds international projects, including Rotary's campaign to eradicate polio. The park projects are the easiest to see. Field proceeds paid for Murrieta Through Time and helped fund the Veterans' Memorial.
Craig Carper, the Murrieta club's 2026-27 president, linked the two in the club's announcement:
"We are especially thankful for our Field of Honor community partners who not only make this event possible but also make it possible for Rotary to fund many impactful projects throughout the year."
Murrieta Rotary Past President Lou Ellen Ficke and Jennifer Rasmussen, Past President of the former New Generation Rotary Club, lead the organizing committee.
What Stands Among the Rows
Alongside the 2,026 sponsored flags, Rotary sets up these special sections.
- Local Heroes, honoring more than 100 men and women from the region who died in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Medal of Honor, recognizing Californians who received the nation's highest military decoration.
- Historical flags, showing 27 versions of the Stars and Stripes that have officially flown since Congress authorized the first in 1777, plus about half a dozen familiar designs that were never approved.
- State flags for all 50 states.
- A 9/11 memorial rock garden, with a flag dedicated to those who died that day.
New this year, patriotically painted chairs will be on display as part of an annual fundraiser for the Murrieta Educational Foundation for the Arts.
Some honorees get more than a tag. In August, Valley News reported that the two Rotary clubs were taking hero nominations through September 7. For 2026, individual nominees had to be U.S. military veterans or first responders living in Riverside County. Selected heroes get special recognition during the week and appear in the Field of Honor Magazine.
The Week, Day by Day
Rotary lists public hours as 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Saturday, November 7, through Saturday, November 14. Some listings, including the City's announcement to Patch, give November 15 as the end date. Rotary's own schedule shows that Sunday as teardown and flag pickup.
| Date | What's happening | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 6 | Flag assembly | 12–5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Field setup | 7–10 a.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Opening ceremonies honoring first responders | 9:45 a.m.–noon |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 7–8 | Al Vollbrecht Rotary Chalk Walk | 9 a.m.–4 p.m. |
| Tue., Nov. 10 | Marine Corps Birthday | Noon–2 p.m. |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | 24th Annual Veterans Day Parade, per the City's listing | 10 a.m.–noon |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Candlelight ceremonies | 6–8 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 13 | Boy Scout flag retirement | 5–7 p.m. |
| Sun., Nov. 15 | Strike the Field and flag pickup | 9 a.m.–3 p.m. |
A few notes on the table. The opening ceremony honors Murrieta's fire and rescue and police departments, with local and state officials speaking. The 9:45 a.m. time comes from Rotary's detailed schedule, while the club's overview puts the ceremony itself at 10 a.m., so arriving by 9:45 covers both. Volunteers place the flags early that Saturday while Chalk Walk artists draw patriotic art on the sidewalks around the park. Being there that morning lets you watch the field go up.
Rotary's prose calls the Marine Corps 251st birthday salute a Monday, November 9 event. The detailed schedule lists Tuesday, November 10, which is the Corps' birthday, so check the club's page that week. Thursday's candlelight program is a concert with Murrieta students.
Weekday mornings, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:45 to 11:15, Murrieta Valley Unified fifth-grade classes visit. Docents staff seven numbered stations, from Medal of Honor and Local Heroes to Murrieta Through Time.
Veterans Day Ends at the Flags
Wednesday is the day the whole city comes to the field. According to the City of Murrieta's event listing, the 24th Annual Veterans Day Parade runs 10 a.m. to noon on November 11. It starts at Washington Avenue and Ivy Street and ends at Town Square Park at the Rotary Field of Honor. Patch reported in September that parade registration was open.
Two days later, Friday, November 13, gives you a full day. The Southwest Riverside County Chamber lists the 2026 Veterans Expo hosted by Senator Kelly Seyarto of the 32nd District from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Monteleone Meadows, 35245 Briggs Road. The Boy Scout flag retirement follows at Town Square Park that evening, 5 to 7 p.m. Friday is also the last day to buy a flag online.
Getting Your Name on the Volunteer List
The City is recruiting volunteers through a SignUpGenius page, and Patch reported that individuals, families, corporate and organizational groups, and high school students earning community service hours can all sign up. The schedule shows where volunteers are needed most: Friday afternoon flag assembly, the 7 a.m. Saturday setup, the Rotary booth all week, and Sunday's teardown.
The Rotary Club of Old Town Temecula helps put on Murrieta's Field of Honor, and Gena Elfelt works from the same Old Town. If you're sponsoring a flag this year for a parent, a neighbor or someone who served, Gena would love to hear who it honors. And if walking the rows has you thinking about your home's next chapter, start with your instant home valuation.
