Recycled memorial flowers are Earth Day project for D.A.R.
BROKEN BOW - By recycling artificial cemetery flowers, the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) are conserving resources in recognition of Earth Day which was April 22.
The focus of the D.A.R. is patriotic community service, preservation and education. Members have an ancestor who was part of the Revolutionary War. This means each member can date their family in American back to the late 1700s.
The idea of doing something with flowers left at cemeteries after Memorial Day has been in the minds of several community members. The D.A.R. acted on it, creating the D.A.R. Flower Stand at the Custer County Museum.
The wheels of the Flower Stand started rolling when the first group of flowers was gathered June 16, 2022. That was when the cemetery staff started clearing the Broken Bow
Township Cemetery for mowing. D.A.R members took the flowers. “There was a heaping trailer full, with bunches of flowers, which is usually a few hundred pounds of trash that costs the cemetery to dispose of,” Tammy Hendrickson said.
The flowers were sorted and those that could be used again were boxed for storage for recycling and conservation. “They are beautiful and we have saved a small bit of landfill space, too,” Hendrickson added.
In April of this year, the D.A.R. chapter ladies sorted the flowers and put loose blossoms back on stems. Hendrickson described it like “several puzzles dumped into a box and you would have to put them all together in order to find the missing pieces for all of them.” People at four tables worked on finishing sprays and bouquets.
“We asked for help from our families for making the posts that would be our display stands,” Hendrickson
Below, homemade stands hold the available flowers. said. The stands are made of old landscape timbers with angled holes.
Proceeds from the flower sales will go towards D.A.R. chapter projects. One such project is the cleaning of cemetery stones with proper care as they do at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Last year, about 50 stones were cleaned in the Broken Bow Township Cemetery. Ask about how you can help with this project and learn about cleaning stones.
D.A.R. Flower Stand will operate until Memorial time. Thank you for your donations.
The recycled and repurposed flowers are available now at the Custer County Museum. Suggested donations are $3 for one cluster or $5 for two clusters. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.