Fort Mitchell National Cemetery's goal for Wreaths Across America is higher this year than last year, and it will be higher again next year. About 500 veterans are buried at the cemetery each year, according to site coordinator Ricky Johnson. Each of those graves adds another $17 wreath to the next year's goal.
For 2026, the Fort Mitchell location page lists 12,500 veteran graves and a coverage goal of 12,500 wreaths. As of the first of November, 2,286 wreaths had been sponsored. That is 18.3% of the goal, with 10,214 still to go before the ceremony on Saturday, December 19.
The Count Has Fallen Short Two Years Running
Local reporting from the last two Decembers shows how the gap tends to play out.
| Year | Graves at Fort Mitchell, as reported | Wreaths | What the figure describes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12,100 | 9,000 | Placed on Wreaths Across America Day, December 14, 2024 |
| 2025 | About 13,000, per organizers | Enough for about half | Sponsored as of December 3, 2025, ten days before the ceremony |
| 2026 | 12,500 | 2,286 | Sponsored as of November 1, 2026 |
In its December 2024 coverage of the ceremony, WTVM reported that 9,000 of the cemetery's 12,100 graves received wreaths. That was 2,500 fewer wreaths than the year before. In other words, Fort Mitchell placed fewer wreaths in 2024 than in 2023 while the number of graves kept growing.
A year later, the shortfall came up again during the drive itself. WTVM's December 3, 2025 report said organizers had enough wreaths for only half of the 13,000 graves, with the ceremony ten days away.
Across all three years, the number of graves went up, and the sponsorship total started the fall well short of it.
Why the Goal Keeps Rising
Fort Mitchell National Cemetery sits at 553 Highway 165. According to the VA, it still has space for both casketed and cremated remains, so burials continue there every year. Johnson described what that means for the wreath drive in the same WTVM report:
"It just keeps growing. It's not like we only need 12,000 this year, next year we will need 12,500, then 13,000 and my goal is to get the community to gather to take this role and say we are going to get ahead of it."
Wreaths cost $17 each to sponsor. At Johnson's estimate of about 500 burials a year, the drive needs about $8,500 more each year just to keep the same share of graves covered. The 10,214 wreaths still unsponsored on November 1 come to $173,638.
A Shorter Window Than December 19 Suggests
The ceremony is on December 19, but sponsorships are due earlier than that. Wreaths Across America's 2026 cutoff dates are December 1 at 11:59 PM ET for some regions and December 2 at 11:59 PM ET for others. Sponsoring by December 1 meets either deadline.
The organization's help center says donations that arrive after the cutoff are still processed. If they can't be applied in time, they roll over to the 2027 wreath-laying season. A sponsorship made on December 10 may still pay for a wreath, but possibly not one placed this December.
That leaves about four weeks from this Thursday to December 1. To reach the full 12,500 by then, Fort Mitchell would need close to 400 new sponsorships a day. Wreaths Across America also takes donations year-round, so a sponsorship made in January counts toward next year's higher goal.
Several local events fall between now and the ceremony:
- Sunday, November 8, 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. The Second Sunday Acoustic Jam at Fort Mitchell Historic Site, across the highway from the cemetery.
- Wednesday, November 11, 10 a.m. ET. The Veterans Day parade and ceremony in Seale at the Russell County Veterans Memorial, as listed by Russell County.
- Saturday, November 28, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The monthly blacksmith demonstration at Fort Mitchell Historic Site.
- Tuesday, December 1, 11:59 PM ET. The earlier of the two 2026 sponsorship cutoffs.
- Saturday, December 19, noon CST. The ceremony at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery, with wreaths placed right afterward.
For the cemetery's own special events, the VA's Fort Mitchell National Cemetery page lists Memorial Day and Wreaths Across America and suggests calling the cemetery office for dates.
Who Runs It Locally
The Fort Mitchell drive is run by local coordinators. The location page lists Ricky Johnson, Mandy Johnson, Christy Taylor and Donna McClure, and says 27 groups support the site. One of those groups, AL0080 Wilbert Is Honoring Veterans With Wreaths, has its own sponsorship page that counts toward the Fort Mitchell total.
Sponsorships can go through the cemetery's Wreaths Across America location page or through any of the supporting groups listed there. Either way, the wreaths count toward the same 12,500 goal. The page also has a "Remember" wall, where supporters post messages about the veterans they're honoring.
How Ceremony Day Works on Highway 165
The cemetery's location page posts instructions for the day, and the main one is about parking. Volunteers are asked not to park inside the cemetery, because the whole loop has to stay clear for the trucks unloading wreaths.
The posted instructions direct visitors to these lots:
- The Native Heritage Center, next door to the cemetery
- The Senior Center at 540 Highway 165
- Mt. Olive Elementary at 454 Highway 165
From there, three church buses and a passenger van shuttle people into the cemetery. The page notes that the drivers are volunteers and asks riders to be patient. Check the location page again in the days before December 19 in case anything changes.
People of all ages are welcome. Coordinators ask everyone to make sure each participant gets a chance to place a wreath and to follow their directions on where and how wreaths are placed. Anyone willing to stay for cleanup should check in with a location coordinator.
At the 2024 ceremony, WTVM described what happens after the program. A family receives a wreath, says the veteran's name out loud and places the wreath on the grave. The location page describes the day's purpose the same way: laying a wreath and "saying the name of each and every veteran aloud." If the count comes up short again, some graves at Fort Mitchell will go without a wreath this December.
Quick Answers
When is Wreaths Across America at Fort Mitchell National Cemetery in 2026? Saturday, December 19, 2026, at noon CST, with wreath placement right after the ceremony.
How much does a wreath cost, and when is the deadline? Sponsorships are $17 per wreath. To guarantee placement this year, sponsor by December 1 at 11:59 PM ET. Later donations may roll over to 2027.
Where do I park? The posted instructions say to park at the Native Heritage Center, the Senior Center at 540 Highway 165 or Mt. Olive Elementary at 454 Highway 165, then take the shuttle in. Don't park inside the cemetery.
As a veteran-led practice, we see Fort Mitchell National Cemetery as part of the community we serve, and December 19 is one of the clearest ways our neighbors show up for the veterans buried there. If you'd like help finding the Fort Mitchell sponsorship page, getting a group of neighbors together for December 19, or setting up a ride from one of the parking lots, the team at Move With Mia is glad to help. Let's Connect.