It began twenty-seven years ago in Maine, which was the home of a family-owned business called the Worchester Wreath Company. The employees and the owners had a wonderful tradition of donating a fresh balsam Christmas wreath to be placed on the headstones of our nation’s fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, which is the final resting place for over 400,000 veterans. The interest and the demand to participate in the project grew to include honoring veterans in all fifty states as well as veteran cemeteries around the world. 

In 2007, the Worchester family, along with veterans’ organizations and several other groups that had volunteered in placing the wreaths at Arlington established the Wreaths Across America, a not-for-profit organization to continue to expand their efforts and support others around the country that wanted to do the same. This year the organization will be including over seven hundred new locations. The mission is simple-Remember. Honor. Teach by placing the wreath on the headstone and the act of saying the name of each veteran aloud. Funding comes from individuals who sponsor a fresh evergreen wreath for about $17.00 and corporate donors pay for the majority of the costs for the program, with trucking and transportation companies donating fuel equipment and staff making it possible for the organization to transport and deliver some 1.7 million wreaths to about 2,557 locations all over the country. Each year, the Wreaths organization selects a theme for the year and this year it is “Keep Moving Forward”- the final words of Captain Joshua Byers, a US Army soldier killed in Iraq in 2003. The theme reflects on the many ways people can be successful in serving the needs of their communities. 

The National Wreaths Across America Day will be held on Saturday, December 13^th starting at 12 noon, and honored locally by the members of Boy Scout Troop 102 from Glen Spey. As in years past, the Scouts and their volunteers will be placing hundreds of wreaths on the headstones in our local cemeteries, including the towns of Highland and Lumberland. The Wreaths Project has been active with Troop 102 for some time. As in past years, the members of the Troop traveled to the United States Military Academy at West Point - a designated national landmark, where they helped place wreaths at one of the oldest military cemeteries in the country, dating back to 1782. Several years ago, Kain Quimby, a member of Troop 102, chose The Wreaths Across America as his Eagle Scout Service Project which brought the program to our local community, and he identified all four hundred and forty graves of our local veterans some dating back to the Civil War. This is a wonderful service provided to honor the sacrifices made by our veterans in the Town of Highland. If you would like to donate or for additional information, go to www.wreathsacrossamerica.org. 

The Knights of Columbus and the Women’s Prayer Group of St. Anthony’s Church will be hosting their annual Holiday Bazaar on Sunday, December 14^th, from 9-2pm in the Parish Hall across from the Church on Beaver Brook Road in Yulan. There will be over a dozen local vendors and several raffles available according to the event coordinator, Elisa Joergle. The event is free with no admission charge and will feature a breakfast buffet with a charge of $10.00. For more information or about becoming a vendor (tables available @$30.00) contact Elisa at 973-293-3559.