Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Alabama Poppy Project returns for annual Memorial Day event
With Memorial Day coming up, the Alabama Poppy Project is getting ready to host its annual event in hopes of creating a positive memorial for veterans who have died and their families.
This is the fifth year Julianne and Steven Hansen have put on the event in Prattville. The event is free and open to the public the week of Memorial Day. Here’s what you need to know:
- What: Alabama Poppy Project
- Opening: Friday, May 24, 7:15PM
- Hours: Dawn to dusk, May 24-30
- Where: Spillway Park on Court Street, Prattville, AL 36067
Keep reading to find out more about this year’s event + how it all started.
2024 Alabama Poppy Project
This will be the fifth year of the Alabama Poppy Project and with it comes 2,024 ceramic poppies. Each poppy can be sponsored and dedicated to a veteran who has died, whether in the line of duty or after serving.
After making around 1,000 poppies during the first ceremony in 2020, Hansen decided to double that mark and began matching the total poppies made with the year. The number is meant to serve as a reminder that people are still serving today.
For those looking to sponsor a poppy, you can do so online or on site until the project wraps up on May 30. Once you sponsor, you will either be able to take home the poppy, have it shipped to someone else or add it to the project’s dedication field.
The project will also allow people to walk up, get a white ribbon + write a veteran’s name down on it. The ribbon would then be tied on to the steel stem of one of the poppies in the field.
“We were honoring those who had served. We were doing it in a way that wasn’t depressing like a cemetery. But those ribbons flying in the wind with their names on them, it was really a tribute driving home that it is our responsibility to keep their legacy alive.”
~ Julianne Hansen
There will be an opening ceremony for the project the Friday before Memorial Day. Ribbon placement will happen between 4PM-7PM with the ceremony beginning at 7:15PM. It will include:
- Remarks from local officials
- Presentation of colors
- Playing of Taps at sunset
The event is free to the public. Dedication ribbons are only available to those who sponsor a poppy, Autauga County Gold Stars and Alabama recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
How it started
Hansen said she found herself searching for a way to honor veterans after her stepson, Kyle, passed away. She found that the ceremonies at the national cemetery were very triggering for her and her family.
“It seemed more of a focus on death than a celebration of the sacrifices they made. They did an amazing job, I don’t want to take anything away from their ceremonies because they’re beautifully done but it was just a significant trigger for me.”
~ Julianne Hansen
While trying to find her own way of remembering Kyle, she saw a tribute at the London Tower during England’s Remembrance Day. The traditional ceramic poppy has been used for years to remember lives lost in battle in Great Britain.
Hansen said she knew this was something she wanted to do. It was just her and her husband working on the poppies the first three years but the response was overwhelmingly positive.
The making of the poppies begins in January and usually ends near the beginning of April. Over the last couple of years, the couple has gotten help from volunteers who get together for a few work sessions before the ceremony.
Will you head to Prattville for the annual Alabama Poppy Project? Let us know by tagging The Bama Buzz on Instagram, X, Facebook + LinkedIn.
