GONZALES — At the May 15 Gonzales City Council meeting, the council passed and adopted a proclamation making May officially Poppy Month in the city.
The Poppy is the memorial flower for the American war dead, a tradition that began in the years following the First World War.
Veterans returning to their homes in this country remembered the wild poppies, which lined the devastated battlefields of France and Flanders, and the soldiers of all nations came to look upon the flowers as a living symbol of their dead comrades’ sacrifice.
On hand representing the Gonzales American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 81, was poppy chairwoman Lisa Gonzales. The Auxiliary presented the council members and everyone attending the meeting with a poppy.
The tradition of the poppies starts with the original Poppy Lady, Moina Michael, who lived up to their motto “Service, Not Self.” The poppies are made by hospitalized veterans, and then distributed to the public near Memorial Day.
All donations received are used only to benefit U.S. veterans.
Poppy Month has become a tradition in almost every American community; and more than 9,500 American Legion Auxiliary units distribute the poppies.
To donate to the Poppy Project, donations can be sent to: American Legion Auxiliary, Gonzales Unit #81, P.O. Box 467, Gonzales, CA 93926.
Memorial Day is May 29 and will be celebrated at 9 a.m. at the Gonzales Cemetery and will include a dedication of the Memorial Wall.
