For the first time ever, local collections and an extremely generous anonymous donor have provided sufficient funding so that a wreath can be placed on every veteran’s grave in Darien’s Spring Grove Veterans’ Cemetery.
The public is encouraged to attend the Wreaths Across America dedication ceremony to be held at noon on Saturday, December 12. According to local tallies, there are 2,184 veterans buried in the Darien cemetery, one of three designated official veterans’ cemeteries in the state of Connecticut. The other two are in Middletown and Rocky Hill.
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— an announcement from the Darien Monuments & Ceremonies Commission
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Darien’s wreath laying ceremony is conducted simultaneously with the wreath ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Dec. 12. Many interested local residents are needed to help with the wreath placement this year. People are asked to arrive at Spring Grove Veterans’ Cemetery by 11:30 a.m. to prepare for the noon ceremony.
Those attending early will be able to enjoy some seasonal music by the Coastal Chordsmen a men’s a cappella chorus, who will also sing the National Anthem. In 2015, Wreaths Across America marks the 24th anniversary of the Worcester Wreath Company donating wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery.
This year, members of Darien’s Monuments and Ceremonies Commission partnered with several Darien civic groups including Good Wife’s River DAR Chapter, the Masonic Club of Darien, the VFW, the DHS Support Our Soldiers, and Scout Troops. Many Darien businesses have also generously donated.
Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992.
The organization’s mission — Remember, Honor, Teach — is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies each December at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at hundreds of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.
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(Picture with this article — on the Home page — is from the Darien Chamber of Commerce website.)