'Poppy Day' set for Friday
By Alex Davis Endeavor News

Eleanor Kerr

Popu- lar handc rafted poppies will be available from volu nteers of the American Legion Auxiliary on Friday, May 23, in Emporium.

Known as "Poppy Day," the tradition honors veterans who served in wars during the last 80 years. It coincides with Memorial Day.

Volunteers distribute poppies for a donation from 9 am to 5 pm at Uni-Mart, Northwest Savings Bank, Mountain Laurel Federal Credit Union, Olivett's Shurfine and Dollar General.

"We do pretty well with it," said event chair Eleanor Kerr, who has served for 20 years.

The tradition dates back more than eight decades. Two women conceived the idea of distributing real poppies after reading a poem by a World War I colonel. He lamented over the mass of soldiers who died on the Flanders battlefields, near western Belgium and northern France.

Unemployed and disabled veterans began to produce artificial flowers following a shortage in 1924.

It has been celebrated in Emporium since the 1940s, Kerr said. Proceeds help support veterans and their families.

For more details, call 486- 0461.