The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance and sacrifice, popularized by Col. John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields,” which reflects on soldiers killed in the Flanders region of Belgium during World War I.

In 1923, “Buddy Poppies” were made by disabled veterans, who were paid for their work. During the 1940s and 1950s, the Veterans of Foreign Wars enlisted leading Hollywood actresses to promote the effort as “Buddy Poppy Girls.”

For more than a century, poppy distribution has remained a staple of Veterans Day and Memorial Day activities in Bethel and Greenwood, as well as at posts nationwide.

This Memorial Day, look for Miss Poppy 2026 Ayda Wentworth around town, where she will be handing out poppies and collecting donations that support veterans and their families.

In a news release, American Legion Auxiliary Unit 81 in Bethel said Wentworth is a first-grade student at Crescent Park School, the daughter of Robie and Mary Ann Lowe Wentworth.

Wentworth’s grandfather, Alan Lowe, served in the Army for 13 years. He is a member of Mundt-Allen Post 81 in Bethel. Her great-grandfather, Robert J. Lowe, was a military veteran and a lifetime member of Post 81 where he served as the financial officer and ran the post’s beano games for many years.

Wentworth’s other great-grandfather, Richard L. Grover, is also a member of Post 81 and a member of the Veterans Honor Roll Committee. He was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, serving for 22 years during the Vietnam era as a member of the Wild Weasels who flew 100 missions during the war.

Her great-uncle, Craig Ryerson, was a 20-year Army veteran, serving in Vietnam. He was a former commander of the Mundt-Allen Post 81 and chairman of the Veterans Honor Roll Committee for 11 years.

Among Wentworth’s paternal family members who also served in the military are great-grandfather Albert Bailey Wentworth, who served in the U.S. Navy as an aviation machinist mate third class USNA V-6, and great-grandfather Leo James Heffernan, who was a chief petty officer in the Navy. Great-uncle Robie Knowles Wentworth II was a third assistant engineer in the Merchant Marines and was killed in action on Aug. 30, 1944, and great-uncle Donald A. Lamb was a chief petty officer in the Navy.