Scout troops helping with Wreaths Across America at Evans City Cemetery
EVANS CITY — A group of youths is helping to bring Wreaths Across America to Evans City Cemetery this December by gathering registrations for wreaths through the end of November.
American Heritage Girls Troop PA 2551 brought the idea to Evans City officials, including Mayor Dean Zinkhann, and had an initial wreath sale at Evans City PumpkinFest in September. Wreaths Across America is a national program through which people can sponsor wreaths to be laid on veteran graves one day each year. This year’s date is Saturday, Dec. 19.
Lauren Snider, an adult volunteer and adviser for Troop PA 2551, said the troop helped a different community with Wreaths Across America last year, but she has ties to the area and wanted to bring help to her home area. By Oct. 20, the troop had already sold 279 wreaths. However, with an estimated 1,000 veteran graves at Evans City Cemetery, the troop still has a long way to go.
According to Snider, the troop is also working with a similar organization — Trail Life, a scouting organization mainly for boys — to register wreaths for the Evans City ceremony. Together, the troops have gathered sponsors for 330 wreaths.
The members of Troop PA 2551 got involved in the Wreaths Across America movement last year. It collected wreaths for a cemetery north of Pittsburgh as well as for one outside Mars. Snider said the troop chose to help out Evans City Cemetery this year because of her local ties and because it has a lot more veteran graves that need to be adorned with wreaths.
“We picked a small cemetery that needed about 75 wreaths to see how it would go, and the girls blew that out of the water with like one booth sale,” Snider said. “We decided this year that we were going to find a cemetery that needed a lot more wreaths so we could all work in the same area and work toward a bigger goal.”
Zinkhann said the number of veteran graves in Evans City Cemetery is surprising, but accurate. Previously, the Evans City Lions Club organized wreath-laying at the cemetery.
According to Zinkhann, residents are already clamoring to support the wreaths project for the Evans City Cemetery.
“We’ve had a lot of residents in town asking ‘How can I get these, I love these,’” Zinkhann said.
But the troop Snider advises will also sell wreaths at two in-person events — one from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 7 at Lowe’s, 9051 St Simon Way, Pittsburgh; the other from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 14 at Generoasta Cafe and Bistro, 901 Warrendale Village Drive, Warrendale.
Additionally, people can contact the Evans City Historical Society or the American Heritage Girls Troop to buy a wreath at any time. The Wreaths Across America organization supplies wreaths that are still needed to cover the veteran graves in a cemetery, Snider said. And people who purchase a wreath after the deadline or after the needed number is reached, they roll over to the next year’s event.
“There’s a deadline, technically, but the worst thing you’re going to do is add wreaths to next year instead of this year,” Snider said.
Snider said that even though American Heritage Girls is a 31-year-old program, it is still new to a lot of people. She hopes to see the wreath sale generate some interest for locals to join the area troop.
Wreaths cost $17 per sponsorship. Checks purchasing a sponsorship must be made out to Wreaths Across America, Snider said. To contact Snider for a wreath, email Perkinkle@hotmail.com. Call the Evans City Historical Society at 724-538-3629 for information on buying a wreath through the organization.
