Wreaths Across America: Howell, Freehold Among Those Honoring Veterans

HOWELL, NJ — The resting places of area veterans are not forgotten at the holiday season on Wreaths Across America Day, taking place this Saturday.

"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.

In Howell, gravesites of 799 veterans will be honored, the names of veterans will be read and wreaths will be laid, said Leigh Shaffer, organizer of the Cedar Lawn/Southard Cemetery ceremony.

During the ceremony, Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops will present the colors, veterans will present Branch of Service wreaths and every veteran interred in the cemetery will have their names read before the wreaths are laid.

"This is a touching ceremony," Shaffer said.

There will be ceremonies, all at noon, at four of the town's many cemeteries and less formal remembrances at smaller gravesites to provide each veteran - including Abner Thorp of the Revolutionary War - a remembrance.

Thorp served in the Revolutionary War, she said of the man whose headstone reads: "Personal Friend of the Father of His Country," George Washington.

Thorp and veterans buried at Brewer, Jerseyville and Lower Squankum Friends cemeteries will have their names read at Farmingdale and then wreaths will be delivered to them, Shaffer said.

Here are the Howell-area formal ceremonies, all being held at noon on Saturday, Dec. 17, rain or shine:

• Cedar Lawn/Southard Cemetery, Kent and Church Roads, Howell, hosted by Howell Heritage and Historical Society.
• Evergreen Cemetery, Route 524 and West Farms Road, Farmingdale. The Farmingdale Historical Society, Evergreen Cemetery Association and the Farmingdale Borough Mayor and Council will host.
• Ardena Baptist Church Cemetery, 593 Adelphia Road, Freehold, hosted by Ardena Baptist Church.
• Adelphia Cemetery, 581 Wyckoff Mills Road, Freehold, hosted by Adelphia Fire Company.

Other events will take place at noon in many area cemeteries, and in Western Monmouth County the sites include:

• Freehold: Elk Point Memorial, 73 E. Main St., Freehold. Olive Branch Lodge #16 Free and Accepted Masons, the Freehold American Legion Post #54, the Freehold Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #4374, municipal representatives from the Borough of Freehold and the Township of Freehold, community leaders, and residents will honor our local fallen heroes.
• Manalapan: Old Tennent Cemetery, 454 Tennent Road, Manalapan.

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.

Other sites around Monmouth County where events will take place, according to the national organization are:

• Greenwood Cemetery, 701 Schoolhouse Road, Brielle
• Historic Osborn Graveyard, 644 Union Lane, Brielle (ceremonial only)
• Wampum Veterans Memorial Park, West Street and Highway 35, Eatontown
• Hendrickson Family Burial Ground, Beau Ridge Drive, Holmdel (ceremonial only)
• Memorial Park Little Silver, Prospect Avenue, Little Silver (ceremonial only)
• Atlantic View Cemetery, 49 Forest Ave., Manasquan
• Fair View Cemetery, 456 Hwy 35, Middletown
• Rotary Club of Asbury Park, Veterans Memorial Park, 703 Old Corlies Ave., Neptune with wreath-laying immediately following at Mount Calvary, 2500 Rt 66, Neptune
• Presbyterian Church at Shrewsbury, 352 Sycamore Ave., 11 a.m.
• Old Free Church Cemetery, Monmouth Road, West Long Branch, 11 a.m.

Shaffer said another site that is part of the national Wreaths Across America effort offers information on plans for fundraising for the 2023 events.