Alabama Poppy Project display moving from Prattville in 2026

MOBILE, Ala. (WSFA) – A Memorial Day staple normally found in downtown Prattville is on the move this year.

The Alabama Poppy Project will set up its field of handmade ceramic poppies at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, surrounding the USS Alabama.

The poppies are meant to honor the men and women who served the country and are no longer living.

“It was really emotionally overwhelming to see the battleship and all of the aircraft and all of the tanks and everything that you can see,” said Julianne Hansen, founder of the Alabama Poppy Project. “It feels kind of like coming home.”

Hansen also emphasized that Memorial Day not only honors those who died in battle, but also those who died while on active duty.

“My stepson did not pass away in battle, but he did pass away while in active duty and he is a gold-star service member and we are a gold-star family,” Hansen said. “We will fight in order to be able to share the messages and the stories of these people who gave so much for the cause of freedom and for their service to our country.”

Hansen said the move to Mobile provides a new opportunity to teach visitors what the memorial poppy symbolizes, even if the display isn’t the main attraction the way it has been in Prattville.

The display will open Friday morning at Battleship Memorial Park at 8 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

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