WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford volunteers are being asked to help place American flags on more than 1,200 veterans' graves at Fairview Cemetery ahead of Memorial Day observances.
The annual flag-placement event will take place Saturday, May 16, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the cemetery chapel garage bay. The cemetery is located at 200 Whitman Ave.
The effort is organized by the American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 and continues a decades-long local tradition honoring military veterans buried in the cemetery.
Volunteers will receive instructions on proper flag placement and maps assigning cemetery sections before beginning work. Organizers said no registration is required and encouraged residents of all ages to participate.
Participants are asked to bring a screwdriver to help prepare holes in the ground for the flags.
Organizers also asked anyone with a relative or friend buried at Fairview Cemetery whose grave is not identified as a veteran’s grave to contact the cemetery office at 860-561-8136 so a flag can be placed there.
The flag-placement tradition has been observed nationally at cemeteries, including Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. In West Hartford, veterans, residents, and local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops have participated in the effort for more than 40 years, continuing a tradition started by the late Jean-Paul Berard.
Flag collection
The American Legion Hayes-Velhage Post 96 will also collect worn, torn, or faded American flags for ceremonial retirement.
Flags can be dropped off from 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 30.
Memorial Day ceremony
West Hartford’s Memorial Day ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Monday, May 25, at the Connecticut Veterans Memorial at North Main Street and Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center.
In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will move indoors to the community room at West Hartford Town Hall's auditorium, 50 S. Main St.
Gravesite flag pick-up
Volunteers are also needed on Saturday, May 30, at 8:30 a.m. to remove and store flags and flag holders from veterans' gravesites following Memorial Day.
Participants should again report to the chapel garage bay for instructions before beginning the cleanup effort.
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