This weekend volunteers will gather to pay their respects to local heroes by placing wreaths on the graves at Mountain Home National Cemetery.

Each year, the Wreaths Across America organization works to ensure America’s heroes are not forgotten by placing wreaths on graves in military cemeteries across the country.

The event began today as volunteers began laying the wreaths. The first ones are dedicated wreaths, meaning they were purchased to go on the grave of a specified veteran, said Jeny Walker, Director of the Mountain Home National Cemetery.

On Saturday, a special ceremony will be held at noon, after which, volunteers will place wreaths on other graves in the cemetery. This year, a total of around 5,200 wreaths will be placed on graves at Mountain Home. The cemetery has approximately 14,800 grave sites.

“It’s almost 1,000 above last year,” Walker said.

The ceremony is expected to last around a half-hour and will include speakers from the Wreaths Across America organization.

There will be no parking inside the cemetery during the event except for those vehicles with handicap designations or passengers, Walker said.

Mountain Home has hosted a wreath-laying ceremony for several years, and the local community has been a tremendous support for the project, Walker said.

“Our numbers are steadily increasing every year,” she said. “This year is nearly double what it was two years ago.”

Walker is quick to say the community support is about more than simply helping the cemetery.

“It’s the heroes who are laid to rest here,” Walker said. “None of them are forgotten as long as we say their names. Each name is said aloud as the wreath is placed.”