The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
‘Remember, Honor, Teach’
Wreaths Across America mobile education exhibit rolls into Painesville area
“Remember, Honor, Teach” is a phrase you’ll likely hear repeated more than a few times in the Painesville area on July 24 and 25.
In fact, those three words, grouped collectively, happen to be the mission of the Wreaths Across America Traveling Teach Exhibit that is visiting the region at two different locations.
On July 24, the exhibit made its first stop from 4 to 7 p.m. at Rider’s Inn, 792 Mentor Ave. in the city of Painesville. It will appear at a second event in the region on July 25. That’s when the exhibit welcomes aboard visitors from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Lake County Historical Society, 415 Riverside Drive in Painesville Township.
The mobile education exhibit, which is contained in a trailer towed around the country by a pickup truck, contains a Wreaths Across America room with colorfully illustrated informational panels. In addition, the exhibit houses a small theater, where visitors can watch a 12-minute video about Wreaths Across America.
“It gives people who are aware of us a bigger picture and gives people who aren’t aware of us a real good picture … it gives them a snapshot of everything in one visit,” said Stefan Brann, who serves a driver and ambassador for the mobile education exhibit.
Wreaths of Across America coordinates annual ceremonies to place veteransremembrance wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery and 2,100 other locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea, and aboard. These ceremonies occur on a Saturday in December designated as National Wreaths Across America Day. This year, the event will take place on Dec. 19.
Locally, the Lake County-based New Connecticut National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsors a National Wreaths Across America Day program at Evergreen Cemetery in Painesville. That event has been conducted for the past five years.
The area DAR chapter also played a pivotal role in bringing the Wreaths Across America mobile exhibit to the Painesville area on July 24 and 25.
“We wanted to have it and put in a request a year ago, and didn’t hear anything. They called us a month ago and said, ‘Do you still want it? We said ‘Yes,’ and they showed up (July 24),” said Debbie Kocsis. She serves as regent of the New Connecticut National Society of the DAR, and DAR Northeast District director for the state of Ohio.
The mobile exhibit displays a timeline noting some interesting historical milestones for Wreaths Across America:
• In 2012, the organization placed its 1 millionth wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.
• In 2014, the organization for the first time laid a wreath at every headstone at Arlington National Cemetery on Wreaths Across America Day. The number of headstones receiving wreaths on that day was 227,000.
• Last year, Wreaths Across America placed 2.2 million veterans wreaths on headstones worldwide on Dec. 14.
Kocsis said it was fitting that Rider’s Inn hosted the July 24 visit by Wreaths Across America mobile exhibit. She explained that the restaurant and bedand-breakfast conducts an annual auction of specially decorated Christmas trees. Proceeds from the December auction are donated to the New Connecticut National Society of the DAR to purchase wreaths for the next year’s Wreaths Across America
ceremony at Evergreen Cemetery.
Elaine Crane, owner of Rider’s Inn, said the business has supported the military community and veterans since 1812.
“We were open two days early in 1812, so the soldiers would have a place to meet,” Crane said. “So we have kept the tradition going.”
When Crane heard that the Wreaths Across America mobile exhibit originally was planning to visit only the Lake County Historical Center during its trip to the region, she insisted that the organization add Rider’s Inn as a second stop.
“I said, ‘You need to come to Mentor Avenue, because it’s the heart road of Lake County,” she said.
Local briefs