Photo courtesy of Scott Pauley
Rows of tombstones sit at Arlington National Cemetery with Christmas wreaths decorating them after volunteers with Wreaths Across America finished laying wreaths. The event will be held in Hoover this year on Dec. 15.
On Saturday, Dec. 15 at 11 a.m., more than 700 wreaths will be laid on the tombstones of men and women who have fought for our country.
Wreaths Across America, which also raises funds for American Legion Post 911, will be held at Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens in Hoover.
The national event, which has been held in Hoover since 2014, was initially brought to the area by the Winslow family. Their son Ryan was killed in Iraq and was originally buried in the Hoover cemetery.
The day will begin with an opening ceremony, which will feature a speaker and six wreaths to represent the different branches of service and prisoners of war or missing in action soldiers. The ceremony, which is set to run for an hour, will then lead into the laying of the wreaths.
Rachel Clinkscale, coordinator for the event, said they started off with a need for 700 wreaths. As of the middle of November, they had surpassed their goal thanks to donations and leftover donations from last year.
With the extras, Clinkscale said they will help out the Alabama National Cemetery in Montevallo, which is in need of more wreaths to reach their goal.
In previous years, Clinkscale said the event has been a success in bringing people together to celebrate lives of loved ones. “It’s a special day,” she said.
The cemetery is located at 2701 John Hawkins Pkwy in Hoover. For information on the ceremony or to donate. visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/14721/Overview/?relatedId=0.
