Fleming County FFA members work on Flemingsburg’s “Memory Lane.”

Each year, Fleming County FFA partners with the Fleming County Rotary Club to create Flemingsburg’s “Memory Lane,” a memorial tree display that honors loved ones while supporting local waterways.

The project transforms the paved entranceway of the local RECC into Flemingsburg’s “Memory Lane,” where live-cut Christmas trees line the roadway throughout the holiday season.

Community members are invited to purchase a tree in memory of a friend or family member who has passed away. Each tree is wrapped with lights and accompanied by a decaled yard sign recognizing both the donor and the individual being remembered. Families are encouraged to decorate their trees in a way that best represents their loved one, creating a personalized tribute that brings comfort and reflection to those who pass through Memory Lane.

Fleming County FFA members play a vital role in bringing the project to life. In mid-November, members assist with securing the trees to ground stakes, wrapping each tree with two strands of lights, and placing the memorial signs. The decorated trees are unveiled during a tree-lighting ceremony held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, marking the official beginning of the holiday season for the community.

Fleming County’s FFA members clearing off the trees so that they can be transported to the school for the fish habitats.

After the New Year, members return to remove decorations, dismantle the lights and take down the trees. The Rotary Club then donates the trees to the chapter, allowing the project’s impact to extend beyond the holiday season. Using the chapter’s tractor and wagon, members transport the trees to their agriculture barn for the next phase of the project.

Chapter officers then coordinate with Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to donate the trees through the “Christmas for the Fishes” program. To increase participation and maximize donations, Fleming County FFA also opens a live tree collection to the community, using their agriculture barn’s parking lot as a local drop-off site. This year, trees were accepted through January 2.

These members are gathering up the decorations in order make sure the trees are clear of any unwanted material that could harm the fish habitats.

Once collections conclude, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife work alongside chapter members to place the trees into local waterways, where they serve as essential fish habitats. The environmental significance of this effort was highlighted when the commissioner of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife visited the chapter last winter to discuss the benefits of the program. The commissioner taught their members the significance behind their project and demonstrated the real benefit for why the project happens.

On January 8, Fleming County FFA donated more than 270 trees to local waterways in order to continue to provide habitats for fish in their community.