A small amount of volunteers had a big task Saturday: Locate all the nearly 2,400 wreaths at veteran gravesites inside Maplewood Memorial Lawn Cemetery and get them ready for transport elsewhere.
Wreaths Across America Location Coordinator Scott Burenheide says about 50 people rose to the challenge — and handled the task within around an hour. He was grateful for the turnout, the efficiency and the willingness to make sure the cemetery was in the same state it was when the wreaths were laid out in December.
Burenheide has said a key component of the overall Wreaths Across America effort is making sure veterans are never forgotten. That extended into Saturday’s retirement pickup.
Temperatures were in the upper 40s Saturday — a vast improvement from the 6 inches of snow falling for the original event date Jan. 24, followed by air temperatures in the single digits for the first reschedule date Jan. 31.
With the 2025 effort done, the carryover for this year’s recognition effort is already nearing a milestone. Burenheide says nearly 1,200 wreaths have been secured, just under 50 percent of the stated goal of 2,400 wreaths. Residents interested in sponsoring wreaths at $17 each can go online to wreathsacrossamerica.org/ksmmlc.
