Cemeteries in Farmersville, Blue Ridge, Lowry Crossing, McKinney, Merit, Van Alstyne — and throughout Texas and the U.S. — will remember, honor and teach at wreath laying ceremonies Saturday, Dec. 17, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. 

The ceremonies, which start promptly at 11 a.m. nationwide, honors veterans for their service in a final end-of-year tribute by placing fresh evergreen wreaths with red bows —delivered from Maine —in remembrance.

For the past 31 years, the nonprofit, Wreaths Across America, has sent more than 14.4 million wreaths to various locations, including national cemeteries and veterans’ memorials in all 50 states and overseas. In 2021, approximately 2.4 million veterans’ remembrance wreaths were delivered to 3,137 locations across the United States.

In Farmersville, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) Lodge 228 will host its inaugural Wreaths Across America ceremony at the IOOF Cemetery. The staging area for the ceremony will be held at the north end of the cemetery and parking will be at the Church of the Latter-day Saints, 513 Sycamore Street, across from the main entrance.

IOOF boardmember and WAA coordinator Billie Goldstein encourages members of the public to attend the ceremony as a final tribute to those who served.

“Rain or shine, sleet or snow, we will be honoring our 372 local heroes just as they were there for us, we are there for them,” she said.

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