JEFFERSON CITY — Thousands of handmade poppies adorned the Bicentennial Bridge in Jefferson City on Saturday to honor veterans throughout the month of November.
This is the fourth year the installation has been at the bridge, spreading the Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11 to the entire month.
Poppies are an international symbol of military remembrance. The flower grew in Belgium during World War I and was referenced in John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields," which he wrote during the war.
Fittingly, the idea for Poppies to the Park also originated outside of the U.S.
Nick Rackers, a member of the Jefferson City Evening Rotary Club and organizer of the Poppies in the Park installation, said he became friends with a few Australian members of the Rotary Club and the idea sprang from there.
"One year, they started this project. They called it Poppies on Parade," Rackers said. "They put these garlands on this bridge that everybody has to cross to get into their town."
The Bicentennial Bridge, spanning 785 feet from the Missouri Veterans Memorial to the Deborah Cooper Park, currently has around 2,500 to 3,500 flowers installed.
Roughly 4,400 more poppies are needed to fully cover the...