MARS — Bridget Miller, local coordinator for National Wreaths Across America Day, told borough council Monday the Mars Cemetery had been approved for participation in this year's tribute.

“I went through the process with Wreaths Across America, and we were approved for Mars Cemetery, Mount Pleasant Cemetery and West Union Cemetery,” she said. “We need to get this out there because I have until the end of November, and we need 800 wreaths.”

National Wreaths Across America Day is an annual program to “remember, honor and teach” the next generation about veterans’ sacrifices. Participants can sponsor a wreath to be placed at a veteran’s grave as well as volunteer to assist with the tribute in their region.

This year’s tribute will be Dec. 16 and is locally organized by Mars Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7505.

“There’s over 300 sites up here at Mars Cemetery for veterans,” she said. “Here’s my problem, and maybe you can help me, we don’t have have an accurate list of the veterans.”

Miller said she was actively seeking assistance in identifying veterans in the cemetery and looking for sponsors and volunteers for the program as a whole.

“Last time I looked I had nine volunteers,” she said. “It’s grown. I had zero before.”

Miller said sponsors can choose to either recognize a specific veteran or simply sponsor a wreath, and the ceremony for the region will be held at the Mars VFW Banquet Hall.

Borough council agreed to help promote the event online.

“I think people will react to that if they know about it,” council president Mike Fleming said.

For more information about the region’s program, visit wreathsacrossamerica.org/PA0809.

Council member Brad Price reintroduced a resolution Monday saying the borough should not comply with or force its residents and businesses to comply with any orders that infringe on constitutional rights.

After an open debate about the language of the resolution, Price’s motion to bring it to a vote received no support from council.

“I took out what I believe were the controversial aspects of it,” Price said.

The resolution previously failed to come to a vote at the borough’s Oct. 2 meeting, with some council members expressing concerns over the “political” language of the resolution.

Monday’s resolution sought to affirm that borough officials would not support unconstitutional mandates, referencing “Gov. Wolf’s unprecedented intervention into citizens’ daily lives” during the pandemic.

Despite Price’s amendments, Fleming said the resolution still included too many supporting statements that council members could not agree with.

“It looks like we’re trying to sell something,” he said.

Council member Robert Bost called the resolution “a political statement.”

While Price agreed to further strike supporting statements related to pandemic mandates from the resolution, his motion to vote on the amended resolution did not receive a second.

Price said he was “undecided” on whether to reintroduce the resolution at a future meeting.