Wreaths Across America Day To Be Observed In Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE, NJ — Farmingdale Historical Society will host the Wreaths Across America ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery on Saturday, Wreaths Across America Day.

Members at noon will read the 380 names of all the veterans interred at Evergreen, Jerseyville, Brewer, and Abner Thorp cemeteries, organizers say. Then participants will lay wreaths on the veterans' graves, says one of the organizers, Leigh Shaffer.

All current veterans and military are appreciated, honored and invited to join the event.

This will be its sixth year honoring 350 to 380 veterans interred at the cemeteries.

Evergreen Cemetery is at Route 524 and West Farms Road, Farmingdale.

There are also ceremonies at the same time at Adelphia-Bethesda Cemeteries on Wycoff Road, hosted by Adelphia Fire Department; Ardena Baptist Church Ceremony on Adelphia Road, hosted by Ardena Baptist Church; and Cedar Lawn/Southard Cemetery on Church and Kent Roads, so all interred veterans in the Farmingdale and area are included, said Shaffer.

Wreaths Across America visited the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel Wednesday for its annual wreath-laying ceremony as part of its national “Veterans Honor Parade,” a convoy that travels the East Coast every year.

Wreaths Across America Day is taking place this Saturday across the United States. "Remember, Honor, Teach" is the mission of the Wreaths Across America organization.

The national group says it not only coordinates wreath-laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, but also at more than 3,400 additional locations in all 50 states, at sea and abroad.

The Wreaths Across America program began in December 1992 in Harrington, Maine, "when wreath maker Morrill Worcester found himself with a surplus of 5,000 wreaths during the holiday season," according to the organization's website.

Worcester saw the surplus as an opportunity to pay tribute to our country’s veterans and, with the help of then-Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, arranged for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington National Cemetery.

This annual tribute to veterans has continued ever since, the site says. The organization's website offers many resources to learn about the program and offers educational opportunities for young people.