It is the middle of August already and the summer season is quickly coming to an end. Post activities will begin to ramp up in anticipation of the cooler temperatures. Post events like dinners, Chinese auctions and an evening of dancing are sure to be part of the fun.
Most of the events are open to prospective members and are a wonderful way to check out a post in the area. Dinners are a good buy and homemade in many posts. The ladies auxiliary can almost always be counted on for tasty desserts or a bake sale.
Do not be fooled by the word “homemade.” I have had fish dinners that rival the best fish houses in Cleveland; burgers that are out of this world and stuffed pork chops with all the trimmings that were fork tender.
Try out a Friday night fish fry or a Saturday night steak dinner, you will be pleasantly surprised. Money raised from the dinners benefit veteran service projects.

Night at the races
American Legion Post 352 of Mentor, in partnership with Lake County Speedway, will host American Legion Night at the Races on Saturday. Gates will open at 4 p.m. and racing begins at 6.
Information for veterans about benefits and the American Legion will be available. For details, call Rob Moore at 440-357-1188 or e-mail MentorPost352@yahoo.com.
Admission is $10 for adults, and $5 for seniors and children ages 6 through 12.

40 and 8 accepting members
The Forty and Eight of Lake County is accepting new members. For details about membership, call Amos Bartrug at 440-812-3396; Joseph R. Milmont at 440-275-1249 or Bill Smith at 440-585-9682.

Geauga Honor guard available
American Legion Post 459 of Burton offers the services of a full military funeral to honor any serviceman or servicewoman at their passing. The Honor Guard is led by Newell Beaumier, sergeant at arms, and is available with a few days notice. Most local funeral directors are aware of the service and further information and details are available by calling 440-834-8764.

Veterans retraining available
There are thousands of veterans signing up for the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. This is the Veterans Affairs program intended to get unemployed veterans ages 35 to 60 retrained and re-employed. Deadline to apply is Sept. 30.
For information, visit benefits.va.gov/vow/education.htm

Storybooks for soldiers
Storybook for Soldiers is a program sponsored by Kirlin’s Hallmark in partnership with Operation Support Our Troops. Donations are accepted at each Kirlin’s Hallmark location to help send “The Night Before Christmas” and “Charlie Brown Christmas” recordable storybooks to deployed soldiers. The books enable the serviceman or servicewoman to record their voice reading the classic and send them back to their families in time for the holidays
For details, visit any Kirlin’s Hallmark or the website at www.kirlinshallmark.com. This program runs through Aug. 31.

Burton Legion offering steak dinner
American Legion Post 459, 14052 Goodwin St. in Burton, will serve a steak dinner from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 18. Tickets are available from any post member or by calling 440-834-8764 for details.

Red Mill Charity Miniature Golf Outing
The outing, to benefit the Wags 4 Warriors program, is $5 per golfer. It includes 18 holes of miniature golf between 3 and 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at Red Mill Miniature Golf, 4243 Red Mill Valley Road in Perry.
One hundred percent of proceeds will benefit Wags 4 Warriors. The program provides service dogs to veterans affected by their combat experience. The dogs are found at local rescue shelters, trained and matched to veterans at no cost to them.
For details, call 440-259-4211 or email redmillgolf@gmail.com.

Barbecue ribs at Chardon Post
If you are planning a busy Labor Day and do not have time to cook, call Chardon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6519 and order ribs to go.
A full slab of ribs is $16 and a half slab is $13. The dinner includes baked beans, potato wedges, coleslaw and dollar beverage. Deadline to order is Aug. 27 by calling 440-285-9804, 440-968-3635 or 440-285-3699. Pickup will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 1.
Tickets are also on sale at the post home, 752 Water St. in Chardon.

To submit items for this column or the online listings, send them to: The News-Herald, Attn.: Larece Galer, 7085 Mentor Ave., Willoughby, OH 44094; fax to 440-975-2293; or via email to LGaler@News-Herald.com.