AGAWAM – A traveling exhibit highlighting how Wreaths Across America honors veterans visited Agawam to provide education about their mission and organization.

The traveling exhibit visited Agawam on July 9, and was set up in the parking lot of the Agawam High School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Don Queeney, director of Transportation and Mobile Educational Exhibits at Wreaths Across America, explained the exhibit has been in service for three years now. Queeney said the idea for the traveling exhibit first presented itself within the organization “four or five years ago.”

 “The idea came up on how to get the message out to people, those who do not know about Wreaths Across America or only know a little bit,” he explained. He said the company was fortunate to have a donor in Chevrolet who generously donated the truck to host the exhibit. From there, he said, “It was just putting the rest together.”

Queeney said the exhibit has gone all over the country, and so far has been as far as the Kansas Speedway in Kansas and Miami, FL. No matter where the exhibit goes, though, Queeney said the mission remains the same: to educate the public and honor veterans.

“Our ultimate goal is to teach them about the history,” he said. A news release sent to Reminder Publishing stated, “The goal of the WAA Education Exhibit is to bring local communities and our military together with education, stories and interactive connections.”

The release continued, and said “The mobile Education Exhibit will help to teach not only the next generation but all community members and visitors about the services and sacrifices of our nation’s military.”

Visitors entered the exhibit trailer through a set of stairs, where they were met with an array of displays featuring storyboards and computers. Queeney said the computers allow visitors to “search information,” however due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic the use of computers has been limited within the exhibit.

Queeney said when visitors enter the traveling exhibit, they’re also met by staff members, who are “there to talk and answer questions.” Additionally, he said the front half of the exhibit trailer features a 20-seat theater where numerous videos from the organization’s collection can be played for visitors.

This flow, he said, allows people to “learn about our mission to remember, honor and teach, [and then] exit out the side doors.” Upon exiting the exhibit, Queeney said visitors are typically greeted with people on the outside to continue to answer any questions they may have or take donations if they wish to sponsor a wreath. However, he emphasized collecting donations upon visitors’ exiting the exhibit was a secondary, or “side-goal,” and the main goal remained educating the public.

Queeney said while the exhibit has visited dozens of towns and cities over the past two summers, this is their first time navigating the exhibit during a pandemic. He said, “It’s a lot different.”

Queeney added that extra precautions are being taken when hosting the exhibit, including following local, state and federal guidance. “We’re following all CDC, and specifically local requirements,” he said.

In addition to following mandated guidance, he said the trailer the exhibit is hosted in is being cleaned daily with specialized equipment, social distance rules must be followed and masks must be worn.

“We’re cleaning the trailer with a mechanical aerator each and every day, sometimes during the day. Staff are wearing masks, [and there is] signage, literature about social distancing,” he said. The goal of Wreaths Across America, he said, is to “meet or exceed whatever the national rules are.”

Each year around Christmastime, Wreaths Across America works to lay wreaths on hundreds of thousands of veterans’ graves across America. Queeney, who used to run the exhibit, said his goal was to get people to participate in laying wreaths on the graves of veterans during Christmastime. “My ultimate goal is if I could get people on Wreath Day, we usually have them for the season,” he said.

He said, at the moment, the organization is proceeding as if the wreath laying ceremonies will not be impacted by the coronavirus, but there are plans in place should that not be the case. “Currently, we’re moving ahead as everything will be okay, but we have plans to adapt and adjust,” he said. “But we are the guests of the cemetery, so we are going to go by whatever the mandates are.”

However, no matter what happens he said one thing is certain, “One way or another, we’re going to honor our veterans.

Those seeking more information and/or wishing to sponsor a wreath can do so by visiting https://wreathsacrossamerica.org.