RENO, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – A thin layer of snow covers Fernley’s Veterans Cemetery. There are wreaths on every grave, and the sun is beaming. That comes to almost 8,000.

The yearly “Wreaths Across America” event, which took place on December 17, 2022, is to blame for everything.

“It’s just a great thing to participate in,” says Tom Draughon with Nevada Veterans Coalition. “We’ve been placing wreaths out here since 2007.

It’s time, according to Draughon, to take the wreaths down.

He is requesting helpers to assemble this Friday, January 27 at 8:30. Some of the wreaths are now frozen to the graves due to the cold, but according to him, they will get by.

Nothing is planned; only a wish to assist in cleaning the graves. Almost anybody can complete it.

“We’ve had some ladies a wagon and they fill that up and pack them off,” says Draughon.

Funeral wreaths will be delivered at the cemetery’s entrance, where vehicles and trailers will be waiting.

What happens to the decorations?

The bows are used by a local lady for handicrafts. Due to the efforts of one coalition member, the wreaths themselves remain in the region.

Roger Elliott had a thought around 8 years ago. Couldn’t local animals benefit instead of paying $2,000 to Waste Management?

“These are quite the snacks for the goats and sheep and llamas,” says Elliott.

What follows is history.

One of the few, if not the only, “Wreaths Across America” participant with an entirely recyclable program is the Veterans Cemetery in Fernley.

Credits: KOLO TV

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