December 9, 2025 – St. Lawrence, Wi – There was a hum inside the pole building at Vince Strupp’s shop off STH 175 in St. Lawrence on Monday afternoon as 948 veteran wreaths were unloaded from a semi trailer. Members of the Allenton American Legion Post 483 were joined by volunteers, dressed for the weather, as one by one the wreaths were lined up in a clearing between tractors and tools; a long journey from Columbia Falls, Maine.
This Saturday, December 13, at 9 a.m. ceremonies will be held at cemeteries across Washington County, Wi to lay the wreaths and mark the graves of veterans. It’s an effort to pay tribute to those who served.
Ceremonies will be held at Sacred Heart (Allenton), St. Mathias (Nabob), SS Peter & Paul (Nenno), St. Anthony, St. Lawrence, Zion (Hwy D), St. John (Beaver Dam Rd / WW), and St. Peter (Beaver Dam Road), St. Peter (old & new), Union, Diefenbach Corners, Faith, St. John, St. Paul, Cedar Creek, Rosenheimer and Faith (Ackerville).
Because Saturday’s forecast will be cold, organizers say they will shorten ceremonial speeches. “We hope to see you on Saturday to honor our fallen veterans in our local cemeteries,” said Mark Schellinger, Allenton American Legion.
Allenton Legion Post 483 will conduct the ceremonies, at the cemeteries mentioned above, at 9 a.m. There are limited wreaths available to purchase if you like to honor a fallen veteran in another cemetery.
December 8, 2025 – St. Lawrence, Wi – Volunteers from the Allenton American Legion will be awaiting the arrival today of 948 wreaths around 10 a.m. Wreaths Across America is an annual holiday project for the local Legion to mark the graves of servicemen across Washington County.
Below is an article posted in 2020.
December 18, 2020 – St. Lawrence, WI – Volunteers from the Allenton American Legion volunteered their time Thursday night helping to unload 387 wreaths that came in from Columbia Falls, Maine.
“We were in Maine on Monday, December 14 and then we made seven stops on our way home,” said semi driver Travis Witt. “We delivered to norther Illinois, several cemeteries on our way back to St. Lawrence and now our last stop will be in King, WI.”
Witt said delivering wreaths as part of Wreaths Across America has a two-fold mission for him. Not only is he a semi driver but he is also a sitting commander, first lieutenant on the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary in Eau Claire, WI.
“This is the first opportunity I’ve had to give up seven days of my time to go up to Columbia Falls, Maine and actually transport the wreaths across the country which will then be used to mark the graves in local cemeteries,” said Witt.
“Every single wreath in this truck represents a life sacrificed either in the military or they’ve passed after honorably serving their country. For me to give up a week of my time is one of the easiest decisions I’ve had to make.”
Witt said he was very humbled by the experience “especially in today’s climate it is not every day you get to be part of something much larger….”
Witt was on the road for about 2,800 miles round trip.
There were 657 cases per semi which totals 5,913 wreaths.
Allenton American Legion received 387 wreaths
There were 15 semi loads on three different days that went to Arlington National Cemetery, 88,695 wreaths per day at Arlington for a total of 266,085 wreaths.
Veteran Vince Strupp of St. Lawrence also made the trip and helped deliver wreaths to Arlington.
In total Wreaths Across America ships 485 semi loads prior to December 17 which includes 2,867,805 wreaths for the cemeteries on the mainland of USA plus 100 cargo containers that went overseas.
The Allenton American Legion will be distributing the wreaths to be placed at veterans graves in cemeteries across Washington County.
