Decorations for Emporia’s Wreaths Across America ceremony next weekend are loaded and on the way.
Coordinator Scott Burenheide says the wreaths — nearly 2,400 of them — left Maine this past Tuesday and should arrive in Emporia this upcoming Monday after several stops. Once the semi is in Emporia, there will be a transfer to another semi, likely at the Lyon County Fairgrounds.
The ceremony will be at 11 am Dec. 13 at Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery and will see the graves of every veteran interred at the cemetery decorated with a wreath, the result of a massive push toward that end last month that also led to over 930 graves already set to be decorated next year. Last year had over 650 graves decorated.
Organizers have announced the parking map for the activities on Dec. 13, highlighting public and volunteer parking in Jones Park and handicapped parking along Jones Drive immediately north of the cemetery, including a golf cart shuttle service. The cemetery’s normal entry points along Prairie and Lincoln streets will not be available to the public. As was the case last year, the ceremony will take place in the green space on the Prairie Street side of the cemetery.
Organizers will update different aspects of the ceremony, including traffic flow and the ongoing need for volunteers, as part of KVOE’s Newsmaker segment at 7:20 am Tuesday.
