Local students and others will remember deceased veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces on Saturday with wreath-laying ceremonies at the Salisbury National Cemetery and elsewhere.
The services, open to the public, will be part of the annual Wreaths Across America program.
Maj. Queen Williams and the cadets of the Salisbury High School JROTC program will lead local efforts beginning with a noon ceremony at the National Cemetery Annex next to the W.G. (Bill) Hefner VA Medical Center.
The entrance to the cemetery is at 501 Statesville Blvd.
From there, they will move to the old National Cemetery off South Railroad Street. Wreath-laying will begin there at 12:45 p.m., a news release said.
From there, the group will travel to the Patriots Flag Concourse and Memorial at City Park, where they will lay ceremonial wreaths honoring veterans of all the military branches.
Several hundred wreaths will be placed at the National Cemetery, and Williams said that’s thanks in large part to Bill and Shari Graham, American Legion Post 342, VFW Post 8989 Women’s Auxiliary and individual donors.
Worcester Wreath Co. in Maine began the program more than 20 years ago and continues to be a major sponsor, donating 30,000 wreaths last year to the nationwide effort that will lay 400,000 wreaths this year.