Directions to Cemetery

The cemetery is located at 831 Dranesville Road, Herndon, VA. Navigation systems do an adequate job finding the cemetery.  Entrance into the cemetery will be from Dranesville Road only on the day of the ceremony.  When you arrive, you will be directed to a specific parking spot.  Please note that due to safety concerns, once you park in the cemetery, you will not be able to leave until the ceremony and the placement of the wreaths is complete.  Vehicles will be directed to exit the cemetery onto Herndon Parkway only.  Overflow parking and parking for those who may need to leave before the event is over is available across Dranesville Road at Herndon United Methodist Church (701 Bennett Street).

Parking Instructions

Parking on-site at the cemetery is limited, so CARPOOLING IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!  Enter from the Dranesville Road entrance (831 Dranesville Road) and you will be directed to available parking.  Please follow all directions when parking and do not park on the grass.  

Please note that the Herndon Parkway entrance will be closed on Saturday prior to the ceremony.  Additional parking is available across the street from the cemetery at Herndon United Methodist Church (701 Bennett Street).  If you may need to leave before the ceremony and wreath laying are complete, please park at the church, since for safety reasons, cars will not be permitted to exit the cemetery while the event is in progress.

Ceremony and Volunteer Information

Thank you for your interest in attending Chestnut Grove Cemetery’s Wreaths Across America ceremony at noon on Saturday, December 14, 2024, as we REMEMBER our fallen U.S. Veterans, HONOR those serve, and TEACH our children the value of freedom. Following a brief ceremony, we invite you to join us in placing wreaths on the graves of over 980 U.S. veterans buried at Chestnut Grove. The following provides important information related to Saturday’s event. Please read carefully! Additionally, if you registered for a group of attendees, please share this information with all members of your group so they are prepared for the event.

• Cemetery/Ceremony Location – The cemetery is located at 831 Dranesville Road in Herndon, VA. Please enter the cemetery from the Dranesville Road entrance. To improve traffic flow and safety, the Herndon Parkway entrance will be closed until the ceremony and wreath laying have ended. The ceremony will be held on the hillside opposite the cemetery office, at the back of the cemetery to the right of the cemetery entrance road.
  
  
• Crowds – At last check, close to 1000 people had registered to attend the event, so please plan accordingly and allow sufficient time for parking and walking to the ceremony location.
  
  
• COVID/Flu Precautions – If you are feeling ill (fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, chills, or other flu-like symptoms) or have tested positive for COVID in the last 10 days, please take care of yourself and stay home this year. We wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you in 2025!
  
  
• Parking – refer to the "Parking Instructions" tab of this web page. PLEASE CARPOOL if you can due to the limited parking and large crowds expected. Also be aware that within the cemetery, you will be directed where to park. Please comply with all directions given to you for everyone's safety and enjoyment.
  
  
• Weather – The current weather forecast for Saturday is partly cloudy and chilly (low-to-med 40s). The event will be held rain or shine, so dress accordingly. There is no rain date.
  
  
• Restrooms – Please be aware that there are no public restrooms at the cemetery. Plan ahead!
  
  
• Wreath laying process –
  
• To ensure that all volunteers have the opportunity to participate, please take only one wreath at a time. Herndon Woman’s Club volunteers will be handing out the wreaths. Please be patient and do not help yourselves to the wreath boxes!
  
• If you are attending with young children, please consider taking a single wreath at a time for your group, using it as a teaching moment as you place the wreath as a group, thank the veteran by name, and talk about what a veteran is and how they have given us the freedoms we enjoy today.
  
• Wreaths will be distributed throughout the various sections of the cemetery and have been carefully counted for each section. Please do not take wreaths from one section to another section! You should generally not have to cross a roadway to place a wreath – it should be placed within the same section where it was received. If you have any questions, please check with a Herndon Woman's Club volunteer.
  
• Wreaths will be hung on stakes that have been placed at each veteran’s gravesite. Do not leave a wreath at a gravesite that does not have a stake. All wreaths were sponsored specifically for a veteran’s grave. They are not yours to take outside the cemetery or to place at a non-veteran’s grave.
  
• Wreaths should be placed on the stakes with both prongs of the stake securely speared into the top of the wreath. The red bow should be placed at the top of the wreath.
  
• In support of the Wreaths Across America mission to REMEMBER, HONOR, and TEACH, as you place each wreath, please take a moment to reflect on the veteran’s service to our county and the sacrifices he or she has made for us. Please say their names out loud and thank them for their service so that their names and legacies live on for future generations.
  
• Please remember throughout the wreath laying process that we are in a cemetery – a place of honor, respect, and peace. Please refrain from running and yelling. Additionally, since this is a public cemetery and friends/family may be visiting loved ones during the event, please be respectful of their visit and give them space and quiet to visit with their loved one.
  
• Due to the large crowds expected, it is possible that we will have more volunteers wanting to place a wreath than the number of wreaths to be placed. If this occurs, please still take the opportunity to pause at a veteran’s grave, say their name aloud, and thank them for their service. While we only have one wreath per veteran, there are no limits on the number of times we can honor and thank each of our veterans!
  
  
• Questions – should you have any questions, please send an email to wreaths@herndonwomansclub.org and we will make every effort to get back to you.
  

Again, thank you for your participation in Wreaths Across America and for your support of our veterans!