A three-fourths replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. is coming to South Portland and will be on display around the clock at the Southern Maine Community College campus on the Spring Point Light Shoreway from Friday, Aug. 11, to Sunday, Aug. 13. Gov. John Baldacci will be speaking at the opening ceremonies at 12:45 p.m. Friday.

The wall arrived in South Portland on Tuesday with a motorcycle escort including riders from the cycle clubs Rolling Thunder and Patriot Guard. The Maine Army National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion, the Brunswick Navy’s Seabee Battalion and other volunteers are assembling the wall.

The wall replica, known as the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall Experience was brought to Maine through Robert Barnes, general manager of Jones, Rich & Hutchins Funeral Home on Woodford Street in Portland, which is owned by Dignity Memorial.

“I got the wheels moving to bring the wall to Southern Maine in November of 2005,” said Barnes. He said his company looked around the area before settling on Southern Maine Community College. Barnes said VFW Post 832 in South Portland was a big help in making the weekend possible.

“In January we were asked to be co-sponsors of the wall,” said Sam Flint, Senior Vice Commander of Post 832. Flint said organizers used the veterans’ hall as a base for meetings and he has been busy getting community guards for the ceremonies.