Wreaths Across America ceremonies
The annual Wreaths Across America tradition unofficially began in 1992, when the Worcester Wreath Company, of Harrington, Maine, began transporting its surplus holiday wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery to honor the nation’s fallen veterans. The tradition grew slowly over the ensuing decade until 2008, when Dec. 13 was recognized by Congress as “Wreaths Across America Day.”
By then, according to the organization’s website, wreath-laying ceremonies had spread to every state, plus Puerto Rico and overseas.
Of the about 5,200 locations participating in Wreaths Across America this year, 19 are in Butler County.
Bridget Miller, location coordinator for the Mars Wreaths Across America event, was first introduced to the initiative during her time working for the now-defunct US Airways in North Carolina.
“When I was in North Carolina, we had a veterans group and we did this. We put the wreaths out,” Miller said.
In 2023, while volunteering for a Memorial Day flag placement event at the Mars VFW Post 7505, she suggested that they hold a Wreaths Across America event as well.
“I helped them do the flag placement for Memorial Day,” Miller said. “And I said to the commander, ‘Why don’t we do Wreaths Across America in December?’”
Mars VFW’s ceremony is spread across three different cemeteries — Mars Cemetery, Mount Olive Cemetery and West Union Cemetery. Between the three cemeteries, wreaths will be placed on the graves of about 750 Mars-area veterans.
In early November, the Mars ceremony had already accrued enough sponsorships to account for nearly all of the wreaths needed. As of Wednesday, Nov. 5, Miller said she was “short 60.”
“I have a lot of people that do it for their father, their uncle, their grandfather,” Miller said. “We date back to 1812 with veterans in the Mars area. We have a lot of Civil War and World War II (veterans).”
The ceremony itself will take place at the Mars VFW on Dec. 13 at 9 a.m.
