The wreath ceremony in Beaufort will be different this year. How you can still watch
In remembrance of the nation’s veterans, volunteers from Wreaths Across America Beaufort will be placing more than 13,000 wreaths at Beaufort National Cemetery on Saturday.
Unlike in previous years, however, there will be no ceremony, and the general public will not be invited to the event, according to a news release. Those who want to watch the escort and the arrival of the wreaths are asked to stand outside the cemetery gates.
The event is part of National Wreaths Across America Day, where wreaths are placed at more than 2,100 locations across all 50 states. The group’s mission is to “Remember, Honor and Teach,” according to its website.
More than 21,000 veterans are buried in Beaufort National Cemetery, including 1,000 children and two Congressional Medal of Honor recipients. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, the first people buried at the cemetery were men who died in nearby Union hospitals during the Civil War.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 50 people can access the cemetery at a time during the event, and all spots are filled, according to the release.
Trucks equipped with the wreaths and a motorcycle escort will arrive at the cemetery between 10:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. The boxes of wreaths will then be unloaded from the trucks and distributed to volunteer groups to place on headstones throughout the cemetery.
Due to limited parking, members from the general public are asked to visit the cemetery after the wreaths are placed, according to the release.
Volunteer groups must be registered with location coordinator David Edwards. He can be reached at waabeaufort@outlook.com or by calling 912-313-1506.
