Riverview Cemetery needs 260 wreaths for Dec. 19 ceremony

Clarksville needs more than 260 wreaths so every veteran’s grave at Riverview Cemetery gets one this December. The deadline to sponsor a wreath is Tuesday, Dec. 1.

The city will hold its wreath-laying ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, at the cemetery. It is part of National Wreaths Across America Day. The event is free, and the city invited veterans, active-duty military, their families and the wider community to attend.

The City of Clarksville announced the ceremony in a news release on Nov. 3. This is the cemetery’s seventh year taking part, the city said.

How to sponsor a wreath or volunteer

• Price: $17 a wreath, according to the city.
• Where: the cemetery’s own Wreaths Across America page, listed as TN0273, City of Clarksville.
• Bonus: the city said sponsoring through that page gives a $5 credit toward additional wreaths.
• Deadline: Dec. 1.
• Volunteers: the same page has a sign-up for the ceremony itself.

The city said more than 260 wreaths were still needed when it posted the release. On Friday morning, the location page showed 17 wreaths sponsored and 343 to go toward its goal. The two counts come from different sources. Both show most of the graves are not yet covered.

About Riverview Cemetery

The cemetery opened on Feb. 23, 1800, as the City Cemetery, according to the city. It took the name Riverview on June 7, 1927, for its view of the Cumberland River.

The city calls it the oldest known public burial ground in the area. Service members from every American war are buried there.

The cemetery office is at 635 N. Spring St., 931-553-2441. Our history and landmarks guide has more on Riverview and the city’s other historic sites.

About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America is a nonprofit best known for laying wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremonies are held on the same day at more than 4,500 cemeteries, the city said. The group places more than 2.2 million sponsored wreaths in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and overseas, according to the release.

What it means for you

• Sponsor by Dec. 1. That is the city’s deadline to buy wreaths for this year’s ceremony.
• Go on Dec. 19. The ceremony starts at 9 a.m. and costs nothing to attend.
• Volunteer to help lay wreaths through the TN0273 page.
• Plan the rest of the season with our holiday lights and Christmas events guide and things to do this weekend.