Vernon Wreaths Across America Observance is this Saturday
Vernon’s annual Wreaths Across America observance to honor veterans and those who gave their lives in service to the nation is scheduled for noon Saturday, Dec. 16, at Grove Hill Cemetery.
The ceremony will be at Lugg Memorial Field in the cemetery, which is at 22 Cemetery Avenue in Vernon. The public is invited.
Veterans and volunteers will place wreaths on memorials to honor members of the armed forces, the U.S. Merchant Marine, prisoners of war, those still missing in action and first responders. The ceremony will occur at the same time wreathes are being placed on the graves of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and at more than 3,000 cemeteries across the nation.
“Grove Hill Cemetery is a historic place in Vernon where veterans going back to the Civil War are buried,” Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said. “We join with Wreaths Across America in asking people to remember our fallen service members, to honor those who have served and to teach young people about the value of freedom.”
Lugg Memorial Field is a special section at Grove Hill Cemetery that is set aside for veterans and their spouses.
A team of volunteers, led by Carol Nelson and Polly Schaefer, coordinates each year’s Wreaths Across America observance in Vernon.
Wreaths Across America traces its origin to 1992, when Morrill Worcester of the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine, had a number of surplus wreaths as the holiday season was drawing to a close. Recalling a boyhood trip to Washington, D.C., which included a visit to the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, Worcester contacted his senator and donated 5,000 wreaths to be placed at headstones in an older section of the cemetery, where visitors were less frequent.
What began as one man’s gesture has grown into a national movement. In 2006 Wreaths Across America was formed as a non-profit corporation and works with local organizers on wreath-laying events across the nation. The organization’s goal is to show gratitude and appreciation to veterans during the holiday season. For more information, visit: Website.
Lugg Memorial Field at Grove Hill Cemetery was created to accommodate requests from veterans and their families for additional cemetery space. It was named in honor of Harry H. Lugg, a World War II Navy veteran, former state legislator and public servant from Rockville.
Vernon’s Cemetery Department manages five historic cemeteries and encourages people to visit them to take in the history and natural beauty. In addition to Grove Hill Cemetery in the Rockville section of Vernon, the Cemetery Department manages the Old Burial Ground of North Bolton on Bamford Road, Elmwood Cemetery off Cemetery Road, Valley Falls Cemetery off Valley Falls Road and the Southwest Cemetery in the Dobsonville section of Vernon.