Memorial Day 2011

This is a magnificent statue of a (northern) Civil War soldier erected shortly after the war ended in 1865. We still follow a custom begun in the 1920's by a Civil War veteran. School children bring a plant to school, whereafter they are collected and arranged around all of our war memorials. Then they are permanently planted on soldiers graves. (I was too late to get the ring of potted plants.)

[Paula x2 Brumbe]

what a great thing to do with the plants.

[Leslie Manna]

@brumbe Hi Paula - Yes, I thought it was a fantastic idea, and even having lived in this town for 27 years, I never knew that. I was lucky enough to be there when the ladies from the Memorial Day Commitee (in charge of all the mouments) were taking them away. I learned that the Civil War veteran who began the tradition rounded up the kids in the neighborhood and sent them out the day before to pick whatever flowers they could find. At day's end the kids would troop up to the momument with him and lay the flowers. I also found out that with the flowers, the kids add a note to a soldier, or to say thank you, etc. I was really touched. (Probably more than you wanted to know, but....Be well, Les