ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County’s fallen soldiers will be honored with wreaths this weekend.
The Gen. William Henry Harrington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will be hosting a local Wreaths Across America ceremony at noon Saturday, Dec. 16 at Eastside Cemetery in Rockingham.
According to a fact sheet, there will be more than 3,700 such ceremonies across the United States, Puerto Rico and “on foreign soil.”
Now a nationwide event, the tradition began humbly in 1992 when Morrill Worcester — owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine — arranged to have wreaths laid at Arlington National Cemetery, according to the Wreaths Across America website. That event continued for a decade.
However, after a photo went viral in 2005, interest began to develop nationwide.
The mission of Wreaths Across America: Remember. Honor. Teach.
Last year, more than 300 wreaths were placed near graves at Eastside Cemetery, where more than 600 veterans are buried.
The event was a partnership between the DAR and AMVETS Post 316, with help from the Army JROTC Raider Battalion at Richmond Senior High School and others.
Click here to read about the 2022 event.
According to Wreaths Across America, 2.7 million wreaths were placed at more than 3,700 locations in the U.S. last year.
Saturday’s event is open to the public and all are welcome to attend the ceremony and participate in wreath placement.
