Vernon Honoring Vets At Annual Wreaths Across America Observance

VERNON, CT — The town of Vernon and the Vernon Cemetery Department is joining Wreaths Across America to honor veterans and those who have given their lives in service to the nation.

A ceremony is scheduled to begin at noon this Saturday, at the Lugg Memorial Field inside Grove Hill Cemetery, 22 Cemetery Ave. The public is invited to attend.

Veterans and volunteers will place wreaths on memorials to honor members of the armed forces, the U.S.
Merchant Marine, and prisoners of war and those still missing in action. The ceremony will occur at the same
time wreathes are being placed on the graves of those buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, and
more than 3,000 cemeteries across the nation.

"Grove Hill Cemetery is sacred ground and contains the remains of men and women who have served our nation
from the Civil War until today," Vernon Mayor Daniel Champagne said. "Wreaths Across America asks us to remember our fallen service members, to honor those who have served and to teach young people about the value of
freedom. We are pleased to do that here in Vernon."

Lugg Memorial Field is a special section at Grove Hill Cemetery that is set aside for veterans and their spouses.

A team of volunteers, led by former Town Council Member Polly Schaefer, coordinates each year's Wreaths
Across America ceremony.

Wreaths Across America traces its origin to 1992, when Morrill Worcester of the Worcester Wreath Co. of
Harrington, Maine, had a number of surplus wreaths as the holiday season was drawing to a close. Recalling a
boyhood trip to Washington, D.C., which included a visit to the sacred grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, Worcester contacted his senator and donated 5,000 wreaths to be placed at headstones in an older section of the cemetery, where visitors were less frequent.

What began as one man"s gesture has grown into a national movement. In 2006 Wreaths Across America was
formed as a non-profit corporation and works with local organizers on wreath-laying events across the nation.
The organization’s goal is to show gratitude and appreciation to veterans during the holiday season. For more
information, visit: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

Lugg Memorial Field at Grove Hill Cemetery was created to accommodate requests from veterans and their
families for additional cemetery space. It was named in honor of Harry H. Lugg, a World War II Navy veteran,
former state legislator and public servant from Rockville.

Vernon's Cemetery Department manages five historic cemeteries and encourages people to visit them to take
in the history and natural beauty. In addition to Grove Hill Cemetery in the Rockville section of Vernon, the
Cemetery Department manages the Old Burial Ground of North Bolton on Bamford Road, Elmwood Cemetery
off Cemetery Road, Valley Falls Cemetery off Valley Falls Road and the Southwest Cemetery in the Dobsonville
section of Vernon.

"Our cemeteries are not only places for families to memorialize their loved ones, but for all people to find a
place of respite," Vernon’s Cemetery Superintendent Travis Clark said. "We work hard to make our cemeteries
beautiful places where people can find solitude and silence, but also get a sense of the history of our community
and those who came before us. We also hope people enjoy the natural environment and appreciate the
architecture."