FORT SMITH, Ark. — River Valley residents are invited to help honor the servicemen and women of the community during the 13th Annual Christmas Honors event.
The event will feature friends, family and volunteers placing wreaths on over 16,000 headstones at the United States National Cemetery in Fort Smith.
The Wreath Workshop and Assembly will take place on Wednesday, Dec. 1, at the Fort Smith Convention Center in Hall C from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Christmas Honors Wreath Event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4, at the Fort Smith National Cemetery. Family time will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the event is asking patrons to respect this time to allow the families of heroes to lay wreaths on their loved one’s headstones.
A public ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. with the public laying of wreaths at 11:30 a.m., where attendees will be asked to lay wreaths on all remaining headstones. The event is also asking attendees to please not start laying wreaths until the ceremony is complete. Volunteers are asked to lay one wreath per headstone unless both spouses are veterans.
The wreaths are to be leaned on the front of the headstone rather than wrapping it on top.
Wreath pick-up and storage will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 5, at the Fort Smith Convention Center in Hall C from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
If you are interested in donating to Christmas Honors you can mail donations to Christmas Honors P.O. Box 10696, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72917, or donate online by clicking the “Donate” button. In-Kind donations are needed and if you are interested in helping, please refer to the website for a list of items.