MARION – It was early but not so bright when Marion residents showed up on Saturday morning May 28 to plant bright red geraniums at the gravestones of veterans. A hazy fog stretched out over the Evergreen Cemetery, making it impossible to make out anything more than the bright red of American flags marking headstones in the distance.

“This is better than last year,” said Donna Hemphill, a member of Marion’s Memorial Day committee who was grateful for the 60-degree weather. “It was freezing. We were trying to plant flowers and our fingers were like ice cubes.”

Jody Dickerson, the Highway and Parks Supervisor for Marion’s Department of Public Works, said that Marion is one of the few towns left in Massachusetts that still plants geraniums for their veterans.

Dickerson noted that there are over 650 veterans buried in Marion cemeteries, going as far back as the Revolutionary War.

Earlier in the week, the Department of Public Works planted geraniums at other Marion cemeteries, but Evergreen Cemetery is the largest and the area that they needed volunteer help with.

Girl Scouts from Troop 60741 and Boy Scouts from Troop 32 showed up to plant flowers at the stones marked with flags, representing the graves of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

“It means a lot to our veterans here in Marion,” Dickerson said.