A wreath-laying ceremony to honor veterans will take place at noon on Saturday, Dec. 16, at Quarryville Cemetery, 685 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville. The cemetery, which is designated as an official Wreaths Across America affiliate, will host the event in conjunction with thousands of other services across the country that will be held for National Wreaths Across America Day.

The event will begin at Quarryville Cemetery's flagpole with a brief ceremony that will include a performance of the national anthem. Individuals from various branches of the military will take part in the memorial service by laying wreaths on a cross and sharing a few words. A veteran will play taps to conclude the ceremony's introduction, after which attendees will walk to each grave marked by an emblem and flag to lay wreaths.

This is the sixth year that Quarryville Cemetery has participated in National Wreaths Across America Day. The tradition was brought to the area by Kristi Sprout, who discovered Wreaths Across America through an advertisement on Facebook. Although Sprout was unfamiliar with the national observance, she began to research what it entailed. After attending one of the memorials at a nearby church, Sprout was certain that it was something she wanted to organize in Quarryville. "I knew that's what I wanted to do. I thought it would be a good way to honor veterans, and the Quarryville community has many," Sprout said.

Sprout's first order of business was to visit the Quarryville Cemetery to determine how many veterans' headstones were on the property. She found many more than she had expected, which presented a few challenges; the higher the number of graves meant that Sprout would need to acquire a large volume of wreaths in addition to volunteers to help lay them. Quarryville Cemetery is the home of approximately 500 veterans' headstones, so Sprout started raising the necessary resources by creating social media fundraisers, obtaining sponsorships from local businesses and garnering the support of community members by word of mouth.

Sprout expected about 80 people to attend the first ceremony. Due to a forecast of inclement weather on the day of the service, she worried there would not be enough volunteers to lay all the wreaths. Despite the rain, more than 200 people arrived, and the community has continued to support the event every year. Multiple local organizations such as Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops assist with the wreath-laying ceremony annually, and members of the Quarryville Fire Department help out by directing traffic.

Sprout plans to start additional fundraising campaigns in the new year to allow services to be held at other locations, including the cemeteries at Wesley Church in Quarryville and Colerain Church in Kirkwood.

For more information, email Sprout at sprout45@gmail.com or call 717-723-1594.