Wreath laying ceremony at SW Va. Veterans Cemetery set for Dec. 8

This year’s Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin is set for Saturday,

Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. at the Wall of Honor in the cemetery.

What does it take to lay more than 950 wreaths on Veterans gravesites at the 6^th Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony? If you ask a Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery Volunteer that question and you may get several different answers.

One answer many volunteers share is that it is a year-long effort to raise money from donations made by family members, friends, civic organizations and veterans’ groups from throughout Southwest Virginia.

Another may describe the days of booth work during the Dublin Lions Club Flea Markets each June and September, selling raffle tickets and receiving donations from the generous market shoppers.

A third may tell about the Spring Fashion Show, the attendance at local community fairs and meetings with local organizations.

Regardless of the tasks listed, each Volunteer participates in as many of these fund-raising events as possible.

The Volunteers are a non-profit 501(C)3 organization chartered for the purpose of supporting the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin.  The Committee’s support includes, among other things, the purchase and placement of a live holiday wreath on each Veteran’s gravesite each year. The Committee is not affiliated with any other organization and works independently of the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery Staff and the Department of Veterans Services.

By placing the live holiday wreaths each December, we honor the Veterans who are interred at the cemetery and recognize their families.

Beginning in 2013, the first Wreath Laying Ceremony honored 350 Veterans resting in the Cemetery.   The Volunteers quickly realized that as the number of gravesites increase yearly, so does the need for the purchase of more wreaths.  The 2018 wreath purchase numbers over 950.

Membership in the volunteer organization is open to any individual who is interested in working to support and honor our veterans.  Monthly meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 1 pm at the cemetery administrative office.  Each member brings a personal reason for their membership and each member is dedicated to achieving the goals of our organization.

Families and Guest participating in this year’s ceremony are urged to arrive early as parking is restricted to the community parking lot located across the street from the cemetery.  Handicapped equipped buses will carry the guests to the staging area and return to the parking lot after the program.

A formal program will be begin at 1 pm with the Entrance of the Wreaths. The program ends with family members laying the first wreaths on the gravesites of their loved ones.  Other ceremony guests are then invited to lay wreaths to honor each Veteran resting there.

Everyone is welcome to come out to join this patriotic event.  Please dress warmly and come early, as the temperatures are quite cool.

In case of inclement weather, announcement will be noted on our website at www.swvavcv.org.  The announcement may include Ceremony time change or its location within the cemetery. The wreaths will be laid regardless of the weather.

The cemetery is located at 5550 Bagging Plant Road,  Dublin, VA 24084.