Omaha's Memorial Park honors men and women who served in the US military. The 65-acre park was constructed to symbolize the community's gratitude to Douglas County veterans and those killed while fighting for freedom in World War II, and its purpose later broadened to recognize the service and sacrifice of veterans in more recent conflicts. Preparations began in 1944 while World War II was still ongoing and its outcome unknown, when the World War II Memorial Association acquired the old Dundee Golf Course property and commissioned architectural plans for the shrine and park. A memorial honoring World War II service men and women was suggested by Mrs. J.W. (Lulu) Broad, owner of the Gypsy Tea Shop, and the World War II Memorial Committee raised over $250,000 from small and large donations to carry out the idea. The 1946 plan by Leo A Daly Company of Omaha included a memorial shrine framed by towering pines, a reflecting pool, formal gardens, and a turf lawn, and also proposed a theater garden with stage and bandshell, flowering trees and shrubs throughout the park, and paved paths, though some features in the original plan were never built, including the bandshell and many of the display plantings. In 1959, the Omaha Rose Society planted a formal rose garden where a peony garden had originally been planned, and volunteers continue to assist with planting, pruning, and winter care there; at its center stands ASCENSION, a sculpture by Jake Balcom. Additional monuments and sculptures honoring men and women of the armed forces have been added, and in 1968 a pedestrian bridge over Dodge Street was completed to provide a safe connection with Elmwood Park. The park is also a popular place for kite-flying, picnicking, sledding, dog-walking, and people-watching, and it hosts public events including military ceremonies and the annual City of Omaha Celebrates America Concert and Fireworks show, which draws thousands of people on summer evenings.