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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is the featured speaker Saturday for the annual holiday wreath ceremony at the Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery.

The Suffolk ceremony is one of three Saturday at the state’s veterans cemeteries, with the other two located in Amelia and Dublin.

The annual Horton Memorial Veterans Cemetery wreath laying ceremony begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17.

The ceremony is held in partnership with the Horton Wreath Society and other community partners.

Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, presents the keynote address. Mike Gooding, anchor/reporter for WVEC-TV ABC13 is master of ceremonies for the program, which also features best-selling author, Hampton Roads native, and former U.S. Navy SEAL Jason Redman.

At the conclusion of the program, attendees, led by members of the Horton Wreath Society, are set to place a wreath on each gravesite.

Parking is at Kings Fork High School, 351 Kings Fork Road, with free shuttle bus service to the cemetery. Shuttle service begins at 7 a.m.

There is no parking at the cemetery unless authorized in advance.

Visit www.hortonwreathsociety.org to learn more.  The cemetery is located at 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk.

“The commonwealth’s three state veterans cemeteries are beautiful and fitting final resting places for thousands of Virginia’s veterans,” Virginia Department of Veterans Services Commissioner Daniel Gade said. “We invite all of our fellow citizens to participate in our wreath laying programs, and pay respect to all our veterans. Please know that all of us at DVS and Virginia’s thousands of veterans and their family members especially appreciate the dedication and hard work of the hundreds of wreath committee members, donors, and other volunteers who raise the funds to purchase the wreaths and place them at each grave at our state cemeteries each December.”

 

The holiday wreaths remain in place through early January.

For more information on any of the three wreath ceremonies, visit https://www.dvs.virginia.gov/cemeteries/cemetery-information or contact the cemeteries.