Veteran Ed Allen, local Maine representative from “Wreaths across America,” recently spoke to the Kennebec Valley Garden Club. Allen talked about the history of the program and said 5,000 wreaths were placed the very first year in 1992. The plans to place more than 1,000,000 wreaths this year is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 17, National Remembrance Ceremony Day, at Arlington National Cemetery and across the country including 24 off shore cemeteries, Pearl Harbor and Normandy to name two.

More than1 million volunteers help lay the wreaths and 168 trucking companies and professional drivers help deliver the wreaths. The WAA mission is to Remember-Honor- Teach. This also will happen at the Maine Veterans’ Cemetery in Augusta to honor local heroes.

Allen was presented a check by Karen Foster, program chairwoman and Deb Sherman, vice president of KVGC.

This was a compliment to KVGC efforts to honor veterans through its Blue Star Highway Marker Project.

For more information, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.