Poppy Days set Friday, Saturday

Poppy Days has become a familiar annual occurrence in many American communities; the American Legion Auxiliary 47 of Fairfield is no exception, and has scheduled its Poppy Days for Friday and Saturday.

Tables for Poppy Days will be set up from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Fairfield Hy-Vee Food and Drug Store; from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at First National Bank uptown and Iowa State Bank on West Burlington Avenue; and from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Johnny?s Place.

Each year volunteers of the American Legion Auxiliary offer poppies to the public during May to pay tribute to the nation?s honored war dead and to show appreciation and remind people of continuing needs of veterans who have served or are serving the country. All contributions collected during Poppy Days are used exclusively for the welfare of the veterans and their families.

The red crepe paper poppy is a replica of the poppies at Flanders Fields in France during World War I and was officially adopted as the memorial flower of the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary in 1921. Over the years, it has been the symbol/memorial flower of the dead. Hospitalized veterans of the world wars, Korean War, Vietnam War, Grenada/Lebanon and Panama conflicts and the Persian Gulf War are paid for handmaking the poppies by the local auxiliary that receives them, and that may be the only income the veteran has.

From the battlefields of World War I, soldiers brought back memories of a barren landscape transformed by wild poppies, red as the blood that had soaked the soil. The four petals of poppies represent: dedication, sacrifice, responsibility and compassion, the red petals standing for the vast outpouring of blood. The green of the stem and foliage is symbolic of the forests, meadows and fields where generations of Americans have perished to make this land free, and the stem represents the courage and determination of the fallen warriors. The assembled flower is a symbol of resurrection, which is sure to follow.

Persons wishing further information about the American Legion Auxiliary in Fairfield or Poppy Days may contact Darlene Vorhies at 472-4449.