Dozens of hearty residents braved the sleet and the snow to welcome the nation’s longest veterans parade as the convoy arrived at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner on Monday.
The “Wreaths Across America” convoy, which included over 53 vehicles making a 737-mile trek from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery, made a stop at the school to take part in a ceremony that included several speakers, a dinner, and the presentation of wreaths to nine local veterans and many Gold Star families.
The MWCC visit marks the first time the Wreaths Across America convoy has made a stop near greater Gardner since 2018, when the convoy visited Monty Tech Regional High School in Fitchburg.
Dozens of residents braved the elements to welcome the Wreaths Across America convoy to Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner on Monday.
About Wreaths Across America
The nonprofit Wreaths Across America was founded in 1992 by businessman Morrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington, Maine. Inspired by a trip he made to Arlington National Cemetery as a boy, Worcester began donating his business’s surplus wreaths to the cemetery, a small gesture that continued quietly until 2005, when a photograph of some snow-covered wreaths went viral and brought national attention to the tradition.
By 2022, the group and its national network of volunteers, including many private truckers, placed more than 2.7 million sponsored wreaths veterans’ wreaths on headstones at over 3,700 locations in all 50 states and beyond.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Wreaths Across America comes to Mount Wachusett Community College