The deadline is approaching for donations to “Wreaths Across America” – an 18-year-old movement that began after a Maine wreath company sent hundreds of unsold wreaths to place on the graves at Arlington Cemetery at Christmas time.
Organizer Nancy Kurk, of the American Legion Auxiliary 546 in Middlesex, said residents have until Sunday to donate a wreath online. Residents can specify the cemetery but not the gravesite, Kurk said.
Last year, 856 wreaths were donated from across the nation for the official Dec. 12 ceremony in Bath National Cemetery, Kurk said.
The simple act of charity in 1992 by Maine wreath-maker Morrill Worcester captured the imagination of other military service groups, with more than 100,000 donated wreaths sent last year to national cemeteries across the U.S., Puerto Rico and overseas.
Kurk said the simple ceremony in Bath will consist of symbolic wreaths for all branches of the military, including POW/MIAs. Taps will be played by a bugler stationed near Fort Drum, she said.
Residents may donate wreaths by visiting www. wreathsacrossamerica.org.
