Township finalizes plans for ribbon ceremony

Event will be held Wednesday at Municipal Complex.

By: Lea Kahn
   The families of nearly two dozen military servicemen and servicewomen will gather next Wednesday, April 16, to tie a yellow ribbon, bearing the names of their loved ones, to the oak tree on the front lawn at the Municipal Building.
   The 7 p.m. ceremony is intended to honor the local servicemen and servicewomen who are serving in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan, said Steven Groeger, township superintendent of recreation.
   In the meantime, township officials are still seeking the names of servicemen and servicewomen who live in Lawrence Township or whose parents, brothers, sisters or children live in the township.
   Mayor Greg Puliti said family members would tie the ribbon to the oak tree, which was planted in front of the Municipal Building during the 1997 tricentennial celebration. Then, when the soldier returns home, he or she would remove the ribbon from the tree.
   Elaine Harmon, a retired Lawrenceville Elementary School teacher, suggested it as a way to honor the soldiers, sailors and airmen, Mayor Puliti said. Ms. Harmon has been active in supporting troops overseas since the first Gulf War in 1991.
   For more information, people may call the Lawrence Township Recreation Department at (609) 844-7067. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.