Time to Tie Those Yellow Ribbons

Among the trees destroyed in East Hampton during the October snow storm was the one in the Village Center used to tie yellow ribbons to acknowledge local military members serving overseas.

That was the bad news.

The good news is the town responded.

Donations for a new tree have been coming in. Public Works crews cut a slab from the old tree for the committee to keep as a memento and perhaps have engraved. Ribbons and flags were salvaged and Rev. Thomas Kennedy of the Congregational Church offered one of the trees on the church lawn until a new tree is planted.

Which brings us to Sunday.

A small rededication ceremony will be held at noon at the Congregational Church. Besides tying the three original ribbons, the Local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will be putting flags around the tree and a poem will read. The VFW Ladies Auxiliary Color Guard also will be there.

According to Ann McLaughlin, chairperson of the Welcome Home Veterans/Yellow Ribbon Committee, soon there will be four more ribbons to be tied.

“I’m having the ribbons made right now. In December we have four that are going to be deployed,” McLaughlin said. “They are going to be deployed in December and what we’ve done is wait until after they have deployed before putting ribbons on the tree.”

Ceremonies to put ribbons on the tree were first held May 31 and as recently as Oct. 1.

Anyone interested in making a donation, can make out a check payable to the Yellow Ribbon Committee and mail it to Ann R. McLaughlin, 85 North Main St., Condo 1-D, East Hampton, CT 06424.