Faith

Wreath-laying ceremony held at Rotary Lights

Published

4 years ago

December 14, 2019

A nationwide observance honoring veterans at Christmastime has been conducted at La Crosse’s Rotary Lights display for the second year.

About two dozen people attended the “Wreaths Across America” ceremony on Saturday morning inside the “ice castle” at Riverside Park.

Wreaths Across America, always designated to be observed on a Saturday in December, was authorized by Congress a decade ago.

Hundreds of similar ceremonies were scheduled around the U.S., including the laying of 250,000 wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

At the Riverside Park ceremony, Joni Welda from the La Crosse DAR introduced people who presented wreaths one at a time to honor different groups of veterans, including a wreath to remember POW’s and service members missing in action.

Welda encouraged audience members to visit the gravesites of veterans, find the name of a vet, and do research about that person.

Related Topics:DAR rotary lights Wreaths Across America

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.