National Wreaths Across America Day will take place in Bowie at Elmwood Cemetery with a ceremony at 11 a.m. at the cemetery flagpole.
Elmwood is an official Wreaths Across America location with the wreath-laying ceremony coordinated by the Amity Club and the Maids and Matrons of Bowie.
These local volunteers have raised funds throughout the year to sponsor the placement of 500 veteran wreaths on the headstones of the fallen service members laid to rest at the site. Local attorney Clay Riddle will be the guest speaker. All veterans, active service members, families, city and county officials are encouraged to attend, as each arm of the armed services will be recognized.
If you purchased a wreath to be placed at another cemetery, come to the flagpole at 10:30 a.m. to pick up your wreath. The remaining wreaths will be placed on the veteran graves immediately after the ceremony about 11:30 a.m.
Everyone is invited to help place the wreaths across the cemetery. When a person places a wreath they are asked to speak aloud the person’s name with his/her rank if it is known and thank them for their service and their place the wreath. For many families, this has become a holiday tradition whether it is recognizing a veteran in their own family or assisting with all the wreaths.
This gathering of volunteers and patriots takes place in local and national cemeteries in all 50 states – most recently at more than 3,100 participating locations – as part of National Wreaths Across America Day. Each year, a new theme is chosen to help volunteers and supporters focus their messaging and outreach in their own communities. The theme for 2022 is “Find a way to serve.”