It's important to honor our veterans," said Phil Lehman, describing the sentiment behind Wreaths Across America. "It's important to take care of them, and this is an easy way to do that."

Lehman invites community members to participate in the program, which places wreaths on graves of veterans in cemeteries nationwide. Locally, Wreaths Across America will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13, beginning at noon at Fairview Cemetery, 600 Hellam St., Wrightsville.

"We will start with a ceremony that will go for about half an hour," Lehman said. "We honor all of the branches of the services."

Landon Mak, a local student, will sing the national anthem, and first responders will also be honored with wreaths.

After the ceremony, people will pick up wreaths to place on graves in Fairview Cemetery, Union Cemetery and Mount Pisgah Cemetery.

Wreaths Across America is a national nonprofit organization. The idea for the tribute began as a seed that was planted when Morrill Worcester, a 12-year-old paperboy for the Bangor Maine Daily News, won a trip to Washington, D.C. Arlington National Cemetery made a lasting impression on Morrill, who later became the owner of Worcester Wreath Company. In 1992, with a surplus of wreaths near the end of the holiday season, he remembered visiting Arlington as a boy and arranged for wreaths to be placed in the cemetery. The idea became a nationwide effort in 2005, when a photo of wreath-adorned stones at the cemetery spawned interest from people across the country wanting to participate in similar tributes locally. Today, the tradition continues annually at Arlington as well as more than 5,200 locations throughout the country.

People can sponsor a wreath for a family member, a friend, a neighbor or anyone else who is a veteran, Lehman said.

Lehman, a veteran who served in the Navy Seabees, brought the program to Wrightsville in 2022. He said the response from the community to the initiative has been very positive.

"We have quite a few people who come for the ceremony," he said. "People want to honor our veterans, and they understand why these wreaths are important."

He invites anyone who is interested in participating to come to the Dec. 13 event, noting that youths are especially encouraged to attend.

"Youth groups, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, all the young people are invited to come," Lehman said. "It's important they understand what these veterans did for us and for the younger generation to understand what this is all about."

Close to 800 veterans rest in Fairview Cemetery, he said. While not all will have a wreath placed at their grave, he's hoping to honor as many as possible.

When Lehman formed the idea to bring Wreaths Across America to Wrightsville, one of the first people he recruited was Arthur Faircloth, who represents Historic Wrightsvile. Faircloth, an Army veteran, takes care of the wreaths at Union Cemetery.

Order forms for wreaths may be picked up at several locations in Wrightsville, including the post office, 307 Hellam St. Community members are encouraged to submit their orders as soon as possible for this year, Lehman said, noting that if orders come in late, they will be included in next year's program.

Help is also needed to remove the wreaths after the holiday season. People are invited to gather in Fairview Cemetery on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, beginning at 11 a.m. to help with that project.

Handicapped-accessible parking will be available on the west side of Fairview Cemetery, directly off of Seventh Street.

For more information on Wreaths Across America, contact Lehman at 717-992-2042 or cbphil71@gmail.com. For more information about Wreaths Across America, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.