The city of Bangor will be placing more than 300 wreaths on the graves of veterans in its cemetery this winter. Mayor Lynne Farmer tells us she learned of a program that provides wreaths for veteran grave sites through the Daughters of the American Revolution.
“My dad was a veteran, my great grandfather and his brothers all fought in the Civil War and all came home, so I’ve always been very interested in veterans affairs,” Farmer said.
The national Wreaths Across America program coincides with an event at Arlington National Cemetery each December. Farmer says she’s excited Bangor is the first southwest Michigan community to sign up. The wreaths are made in Maine and will be shipped into town ahead of December 17. That’s the day they’ll be placed on the grave sites at Bangor’s Arlington Hill Cemetery. How many veteran graves are at the cemetery?
“Actually, we have 500, and my goal as to try to get to that, but I was one person doing it, so I was very happy to get 324.”
Farmer says residents were able to buy wreaths for grave sites for $15 each. Volunteers will place the wreaths at the graves and they’ll be removed in February. The city of South Haven will also place around 200 wreaths on veteran grave sites at its cemetery in partnership with Bangor.
