Wreaths Across America  - 2016

Thank you for all of your support.

Saturday started with an executive decision to have the

ceremony or to postpone.

The weather was getting worse by the hour and emotions

were running high. 

This was a cumulative effort of

the community...and would they be there for the

first ceremony in Knox County??

The decision was made the night before to take the ceremony

inside to the Christian Church, a few blocks West of the cemetery.

A very wise man wrote to me " I'll do my utmost to get there if you keep the ceremony "on".  I think we have to be emotionally prepared for a very small crowd of attendees. Like you said, it is what it is."  Thank you to Lt. Col. Ret. Keith Gudehus for the encouragement and a job well done.  He made the event extraordinary.

Yes, the church was not full, however, they braved the sleet and snow to be there.

I am sorry the rest of community missed the emotional presentation

Well, maybe "I" was the only one getting emotional.

Seeing the veterans in attendance, honoring them, their service

and their sacrifices, gave that sense of patriotism and pride.

This is what the day was all about. 

This is what over 1,200 sites were doing across the US and abroad.

Some had to postpone, some had to cancel and some endured, as we did.

Thank you to everyone who braved the cold.

Thank you to everyone who placed wreaths on Novelty and

Locust Hill Cemeteries.  It was greatly appreciated.

What a wonderful sight to see people, (freezing),placing wreaths on veteran'  graves. 

They will remembered.

Please send photos to splitends4@gmail.com so we may share

them with the national organization and on our blog.

Thank you from Wende Wagner - Location Coordinator

Photos by April Franke

Wreath Ceremony as Planned is moved to Church

It is a pretty wonderland this morning in Novelty, Missouri.

The Wreaths Across America ceremony is as planned at 11:00 AM and
has been moved to the Christian Church on 156 HWY just a
few blocks West of the Cemetery.

This was just received from New Jersey:

"We got three inches of snow last night but at 530am I received a call from our 95 YEAR OLD WWII Army Air Corp Veteran who said "the people who care the most will be there and for us Veterans, the weather was never a problem...what time should I be there"  "

Happy Wreath Day - Sara G

We want everyone to join us, but we would rather have everyone SAFE!!

Thank you for all of your support.

Wende Wagner - Location Coordinator

They are here...

After long anticipation the wreaths for the ceremony are here.

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016...

Without warning a knock on the door ...and there was "Bill" the
FedEx guy.  He smiled and said " I have 28 boxes for you."
He was calm.  I thought it was going to be racecar parts for Tom.
NOPE!!  I suddenly went into panic mode!!

We had a system in place.
1)  Get an email saying they had shipped from the factory in Maine.
2)  Receive a phone call from the driver with ETA.
3)  Call folks in town to help unload the truck. (thinking we were
     getting a semi)
4)  Calmly unload truck and celebrate in the excitement they had
     made it to Novelty.

Well THAT didn't happen.
I started talking like Daffy Duck and didn't make any sense.
I think the driver got scared!
  At this point a million and one things went racing through my head.
Who to call.  Who has the key to the Legion Hall.  Glad I was still
in the house ( and had clothes on).  How long can "Bill" wait for us to rally help?
At one-million and two mark of thoughts,  I saw him step "slowly" back and
off the front porch. 
I couldn't think or talk at the same time!  I gave him a
hug ( have you hugged your FedEx driver today?)
and told him I would be right there.

I must have thanked him twenty times standing in the cold.
He agreed to drive around the corner to the Legion Hall and wait a few minutes.

While trying to call a few ladies from the center.. I remembered..
THEY ARE AT THE CENTER ! RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO THE HALL!!

Running (not a good thing for me in cold) to the center, I startled 10 ladies
and a little boy when the door flew open.  With my wide-eyed and panic stricken face, ALSO out of breath...
"The  wreaths are here, (pant, pant), someone get the key to the building!  "Bill" the driver is here and he can help unload". (pant, pant).
It was like a well rehearsed drill team. Senior ladies going in different directions
to put out a fire. And so they did.
The key arrived FAST and so did the manpower.  Loren Jessen (  GOTCHA ,he was walking to the post office) Larry Primm, and Kent Franke.
We didn't want to miss this photo opportunity.

FedEx "Bill"

It took only minutes, in the cold, to settle 28 boxes of fresh balsam wreaths into the Hall.

There are 243 plus 7 ceremonial wreaths.
We will be ready for Saturday.  Please  GOD, let the weather be good
and for "Bill" to recover from his delivery to Novelty, with no bad dreams.

Thank you to everyone who helped unload wreaths. Job well done.

In my email this morning it reads the wreaths have left Maine. Included are the tracking numbers.
(Eyes Rolling and Snarly Grin).  Early is better than late or not at all.  Who said that by the way?

Photos by Marsha Pinson.
 and Diana Cheatum.

You are cordially invited to attend...

December 17th, 2016 is fast approaching and we would
like to invite you, your family, friends and members of
the community to join us.
The first Wreaths Across America Ceremony in Knox County
will be held in the Novelty Cemetery. ( please check here if we must
move to the church for bad weather).

Information for our guests:

Please arrive by 10:30 AM no later than 10:45 AM.  Depending on the cold.
The ceremony will begin promptly at 11:00 AM.
This is 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and simultaneous with
Arlington National Cemetery.

Park on side streets first.  If you need handicap parking please let us know.
Semi-trucks do not slow down that much coming through town.

We ask that you dress for the weather as well.  The cemetery is a bit hilly and
there may or may not be snow or squishy ground or mud.

Veterans' graves are marked with a surveyors flag and/or a military plaque.
Red flags mean this grave is spoken for, so pleases choose a grave with a green flag or plaque.
PLEASE remove the flag and place it in the flag bin.

Wreaths will be located on a trailer near the stage trailer.
We would like for those who have sponsored a wreath for this
cemetery please approach the trailer FIRST, pick up your wreath and place
it on the specific grave. (remove flag and place in bin.)
 Second, the members of the community are asked please take a wreath and
make their way to a green flag or military plaque. (remove flag and place in bin.)

Most important for wreath laying..........
SAY THEIR NAMES
"No one wants to be forgotten.
A person dies twice. Once when the stop breathing and a second time
 when someone says their name for the last time."

Please take the time to "Say the name "out loud, of the veteran you
have chosen to honor.

Take the time to reflect,  remember , honor, and  teach on this day.

As 2016 comes to an end, our fundraising for Wreaths Across America
does not.  The cemetery and the fundraising group, Novelty Senior Citizens, will
be accepting sponsorships for wreaths (2017) and cemetery care. Please make a  note
on each donation.

We look forward to having you with us.

Novelty Senior Citizens

p.s.

If you would like to give of your time and strength.....

We need people to meet the truck and help unload

the wreaths.

FYI this will be between Dec. 12-16.

Please add you name and phone number (text)

or email and we will contact you.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

We will meet at the Legion Hall on 3rd Street in

Novelty. There will be 250 wreaths!
Seven ceremonial wreaths and 243 memorial wreaths
for Knox County, Missouri.

Laying wreaths for Wreaths Across America

The countdown has begun.  Nine days until our Wreaths across America ceremony!  We still are not sure WHEN the wreaths will arrive, sometime next week.  We will receive an email, then a phone call from the truck driver giving a closer arrival to our destination.  We will definitely need some help in unloading that truck--if you can help, call 660-739-4525 to let me know.  We do have several that have volunteered to help do that...thank you!

Wreaths will be stored in the Novelty American Legion Hall until the ceremony on Saturday.  At 9:30, we will have a "parade" taking the wreaths for the Novelty cemetery to the location.  Some help will be needed a bit prior to that time to get them loaded!  

If you are coming to the ceremony, please park on side streets first, so traffic on Highway 156 will not be impeded.  The ceremony will be held on the south end of the cemetery, closest to the highway. (If you have difficulty standing, you might wish to bring a chair.)  We have a high school girl that will be singing the national anthem.  Any elementary student (grades K-5) in attendance will be asked to come forward and help lead in the pledge of allegiance...(part of the Remember, Honor, TEACH motto of Wreaths Across America). 

Master of Ceremonies will be Lt. Col. (Ret) Keith Gudehus.  County-wide VFW and American Legions will provide a color guard.  Each of the commemorative wreaths will be placed by a veteran of that branch, or a family member of that person.  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Merchant Marines, Coast Guard, and POW/MIA.  We have veterans from WW!! through the present war participating in this.   TAPS will be played by a high school student.  Then all present who sponsored a "grave-specific" wreath for that cemetery, will be asked to come up and get their wreath.and take it to the grave.  When the wreath is placed, those doing so are asked to SAY THEIR NAME and thank them for their service.  A person dies twice: once when they take their final breath, and later, the last time their name is spoken. We do not want them to "die twice"...say their name!  After families have placed their wreaths, we have volunteers (or YOU can volunteer too) to place the wreaths on the rest of the veterans in the cemetery.  Help will likely be needed to lay wreaths at the Locust Hill Cemetery and Mt. Salem Cemetery as we had enough sponsorships to lay wreaths at ALL veterans buried in those 3 cemeteries.  Thank you to all who gave money that went toward non-specified graves.  Whether you contributed for a wreath, or just put your change in one of our donation "boots"....you are much appreciated.

If you sponsored a grave-specific wreath for someone in another cemetery:  After the ceremony, please come to the Novelty Legion Hall to pick up your wreath to then take to your loved ones' grave.  

Now, pray for good weather for the day!  I am sure it will be cold, but hopefully no snow, or rain/sleet, or wind!    Hope to see YOU December 17th, 11:00 a.m. (or sooner) at the Novelty Cemetery to remember and honor our veterans.  Wreaths Across America.

December 7th, A Day of Remembrance...