Thousands of veterans were honored across the region this weekend as a part of National Wreaths Across America Day, which sets out to honor the lives of fallen heroes ahead of the holidays.
Founded in 2007, Wreaths Across America now holds thousands of wreath-laying ceremonies across the country. This year, Lynn, Marblehead, Saugus, and Swampscott participated, holding events on Saturday.
Lynn and Swampscott’s wreath-laying ceremonies were organized through the Lynn-Swampscott Veterans Services. Although each community independently raised funds for their individual ceremonies, Director for Lynn-Swampscott Veterans’ Services Mike Sweeney said roughly 700 wreaths were sponsored all together.
Lynn held its ceremony at Pine Grove Cemetery, while Swampscott’s took place at Swampscott Cemetery.
For Lynn and Swampscott, it was their second year participating in Wreaths Across America. Sweeney called it “an amazing day” and said that it’s great to see the program continue to grow in such a short period of time.
“We’re just happy to see it grow, and we hope to continue growing in the future so we can continue to bring this very holiday season,” Sweeney said. “It’s nice for their (veterans’) families to come out and see that people care. It’s wonderful.”
Marblehead, also in its second year of participating, held its ceremony at noon. Started by EMS Dispatcher Teresa Collins, the town’s own Wreaths Across America celebration has also seen a huge increase in support.
Last year, roughly 600 wreaths were sponsored. That number more than tripled this year to more than 2,200. The ceremony was held at Waterside Cemetery, around the newly restored veterans gazebo, which was unveiled last weekend by the Marblehead Rotary Club.
Collins was grateful for the community’s support, specifically the local businesses in town who made a big difference with their donations.
“I know how hard this economy is for little mom-and-pop businesses here in town, and for them to donate and get behind our mission and support it was really heartwarming,” Collins said.
After the ceremony, Marblehead’s VFW Post organized a celebration with food and live music to thank dozens of volunteers and donors who made the wreath-laying possible.
In Saugus, The Parsons Roby chapter of the Daughters of the Revolution hosted its ceremony at Riverside Cemetery.
Saugus also surpassed its total wreaths laid last year, with more than 500 of the cemetery’s 1,200 veteran graves receiving wreaths, compared to 2022’s total of 410 being placed across Waterside and the Old Burying Ground in Saugus Center.
