A formerly weathered gazebo in the veterans’ lot at Waterside Cemetery has been restored — just in time for the Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 16, at noon.
About 40 people gathered Saturday morning, Dec. 9, to rededicate the restored gazebo.
“This renovation is a beautiful example of how things get done by volunteers uninfluenced by the reward for its own sake,” said interim Select Board Chairman Moses Grader, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. “It’s always a delight and honor to be a witness to that, and this beautiful gazebo stands as a testament to that.”
The renovated gazebo provides a fitting backdrop for the upcoming ceremony, many said. Volunteers have conducted extensive mapping of veterans’ gravesites in cemeteries across Marblehead so each personalized wreath can be placed at the correct headstones. Over 2,300 wreaths decorated with red bows will transform Marblehead burial grounds.
“We say every veteran’s name aloud when we lay a wreath so their memory and story lives on,” said Teresa Collins, location coordinator for Wreaths Across America. “It’s deeply meaningful for families hearing the names of their loved ones said here.”
She added she hopes that the wreath laying in part reminds people to “never forget their sacrifices, and teach the next generation the value of freedom.”
Collins said the restored gazebo — which had fallen into disrepair after years of exposure to harsh New England weather — will make this year’s ceremony extra special.
The Marblehead Rotary Club joined forces with the Rotary Club of Marblehead Harbor, Marblehead High School’s Interact Club and the ElderAct Club to fund repairs. Building material donations came from local businesses Marblehead Ace Hardware and Gilbert and Cole Lumberyard to contain costs for the volunteer clubs.
“In a multi-generational town like Marblehead, spaces like this are extra sacred and special,” said Town Moderator Jack Attridge, who helped facilitate the gazebo renovation. “I’m guessing people after people have looked at the gazebo over time and thought, wow, we could really use a facelift. And finally people gathered and got the job done. And it looks fantastic.”
The gazebo has commanding views of Salem Harbor, and Attridge noted it is a peaceful spot to connect with lost loved ones.
“It is the place where children and grandchildren can sit and hear stories about who they came from while learning history as it was lived,” he said, quoting longtime resident Joan Cutler.
