Bethel Shields, left, and Charlie Paul present a large wreath to participants in the Wreaths Across America service Monday morning at Veterans Memorial Park in Lewiston before placing the wreath at the base of the large memorial on Main Street. Far right is Nate Lewis, general transportation manager who represented Wreaths Across America. Later, smaller wreaths were placed at the other memorials in the riverside park by many of the three dozen people gathered on the blustery day for the service. One million balsam wreaths left Columbia Falls, Maine, on Saturday in a volunteer tractor-trailer caravan on their way to Arlington National Cemetery, the resting place for more than 400,000 active duty U.S. service members, veterans and their families. The convoy will stop at schools, memorials and veteran group gatherings like Lewiston’s, leaving wreaths in honor of America’s veterans, until it reaches the national cemetery Dec. 15, where volunteers will place wreaths throughout the cemetery. The tradition began when Maine wreath maker Morrill Worcester donated 5,000 wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery in 1992. (Sun Journal photo)

Wreaths resting at the base of memorials at Veterans Memorial Park in Lewiston honor fallen veterans following a service at the park Monday morning. About three dozen people gathered for the service and then distributed the wreaths provided by Wreaths Across America as it traveled in a tractor-trailer convoy from Columbia Falls to its destination at Arlington National Cemetery. (Sun Journal photo)