May is a busy month for remembering those in uniform and those who support their efforts.
Military Spouse Appreciation Day is May 8. This day honors those who keep the home fires burning for all of the active duty service personnel.
Peace Officer Memorial Day is May 15,when flags fly at half staff from sunrise to sunset in memory of those officers killed in the line of duty. The third Saturday of the month is set aside as Armed Forces Day, which honors current members of the United States armed forces.
Of course, the month ends with Memorial Day, when the flag is to be flown at half staff from sunrise until noon and then be returned to full staff for the remainder of the day.
Decoration Day, as it was originally called, began in 1866 when the graves of Civil War soldiers were decorated with flowers in their memory. In 1967, the name was changed to Memorial Day by an act of Congress.

Boulevard of 500 Flags fund raiser a success
Joe Strand and the Boulevard of 500 Flags Committee would like to express their thanks to the many volunteers, those who donated to the event, supporters and the attendees of the annual Boulevard Fundraiser. All those involved helped to make the event a wonderful success.

Work party to raise flags in Eastlake
Volunteers are needed to help raise flags and ready the Boulevard of 500 Flags, 35150 Lake Shore Boulevard in Eastlake, for the season.
A work party will begin at 9 a.m. May 2 to sort and raise the flags. In the event of rain, the date will be May 3. If you plan to volunteer, please bring gloves and pliers with you. For details, call Joe Strand at 440-942-9344.

Painesville legion offers breakfast buffet
American Legion Post 336, 60 Chester St. in Painesville, will host a breakfast buffet from 9 to 11:30 a.m. May 3.
For details, call the post home at 440-357-7711.

Car and motorcycle cruise in begins in Willowick
Veterans Car and Motorcycle Cruise In will be noon to 4 p.m. every Sunday beginning May 3 at American Legion Post 678, 590 E. 328th Street in Willowick.
All cars and motorcycles are welcome. The registration fee is $5 or a donation for the Homeless Veterans Shelter. Food, drinks, prizes, 50/50 raffle and more will be a part of the fun. For details, call Bob at 216-214-3878 or email sfccola@yahoo.com.

Squadron serves spaghetti for Mom
Civil Air Patrol Squadron OH 252 of Painesville will host a Mother’s Day Spaghetti dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. May 9 at American Legion Post 336, 60 Chester St. in Painesville.
Mothers will eat free, dine in only.

Mother’s Day brunch in Willoughby Hills
Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4358, 29412 White Road in Willoughby Hills, will host a Mother’s Day Brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10.
Tickets are $10 per person and must be purchased by May 3 at the post canteen. This brunch is open to the public. Call Rosina Drenski at 440-944-4903 for more information.

Catholic War Veterans membership drive
The Catholic War Veterans of Lake, John Paul II Post 1959, will host a membership and poppy drive at St. Cyprian’s Church, 4223 Middle Ridge Road in Perry Township, after all Masses on May 16 and 17.
The post also will sell tickets for the reverse raffle on Oct. 24 at Patrician Party Center. Tickets for the event are $65 for main board and $35 for extra dinner ticket. Only 175 of the tickets will be sold. For details, call Bill Varga at 440-352-2315.

Polish legion auxiliary hosts golf outing
Polish Legion of American Veterans Ladies Auxiliary Chapter 31 in Cleveland will host a golf outing at Briardale Greens Golf Course, 24131 Briardale Ave. in Euclid.
The outing begins with a shotgun scramble at 8 a.m. Tickets are $70 per person and include coffee and doughnuts, lunch at the turn, green fees and cart, and a full buffet dinner to follow at PLAV Post 31, 850 E. 200th St. in Cleveland. Call 216-337-8997 or 216-337-8996 for details.

Operation STAT open house in Eastlake
Operation S.T.A.T. (Standing Tall for American Troops) will host an open house on May 16 at VFW Post 3863, 33641 Vine St. in Eastlake.
The event is open to the public and hamburgers and hot dogs will be available. For details, call Adam Cook at 440-413-6225 or email him at Adam@operationstat.org.

Flag retirement ceremony at Veterans Park
Mentor VFW Post 9295 and Boy Scout Troop 75 will host a flag retirement ceremony at 1 p.m. May 17 at Veterans Park, 5730 Hopkins Road in Mentor.
Bring your old and worn flags for proper disposal. The public is welcome.

Blessing of the bikes in Hambden
Hambden Congregational Church, 13840 GAR Highway in Hambden Township, will welcome Rolling Thunder for a bike blessing and veterans tribute service on May 18.
All motorcycles are asked to gather on Chardon Square at 9:30 a.m. for departure at 9:45 a.m. The service will begin by 10:30 a.m.
A picnic will follow at Hambden Township Park, 9891 Old State Road, following the service. Bring a dish to share. Hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks will be provided by Hambden Congregational Church; cooking by the Chardon VFW and the cleanup and other assistance by the Young Marines.

Medal of Honor Stories presented at Perry Library
Historian Harold George, in full Civil War uniform, will present a program about the Medal of Honor at Perry Public Library, 3753 Main St. in Perry at 7 p.m. May 19.
More than 3,000 Medals of Honor have been issued for acts of bravery and heroism. In a few cases, though, the medal was awarded for rather unique, strange, and less-than-glorious reasons.

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.

I have noticed a number of outdoor activities coming up in the next few weeks: motorcycle events, golf outings and picnics. Could this possibly mean that spring has finally arrived?
If this is the case, then Memorial Day cannot be far behind. I have already received two announcements about events for this holiday. Each post should be participating in something: a ceremony to remember the fallen or perhaps a local parade.
If your post is doing something, please send the information to me for listing in the annual Memorial Day events list.
I hope to see a long list of memorial ceremonies.

Auxiliary dinner benefits Cleveland Fisher House
American Legion Ladies Auxiliary of Post 336, 60 Chester St. in Painesville, will host a shepherd’s pie dinner from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 24.
Proceeds from the dinner will benefit Cleveland Fisher House. For details, call 440-357-7711.

Annual Rally for the Troops
The 13th annual Rally for the Troops will take place at 11 a.m. April 26 at the Greater Cleveland Veterans Memorial, between Saint Clair and Rockwell avenues, west of East 6th Street in Cleveland. The location has been changed because of the ongoing construction at Public Square.
Group rides will leave from many of the Northeast Ohio Harley Davidson dealerships to the rally. Call in advance to determine the plans for each dealership.
For details, call John “Kiks” Kikol at 440-263-8121 or kiksharley@aol.com.

Work party will raise flags at memorial
The Eastlake Boulevard of 500 Flags Volunteers Committee will host a work party beginning at 9 a.m. May 2 to sort and raise the flags, with a rain date of May 3.
Please bring gloves and pliers if you plan to volunteer. The work parties are open to anyone. The committee operates completely on donations and with the help of volunteers.
To make a donation, checks can be made payable to the City of Eastlake (Boulevard of 500 Flags on the memo line) and sent to City Hall, 35150 Lake Shore Blvd., Eastlake, OH 44095.
For more information on volunteering, call Joe Strand at 440-942-9344.
The new website for the boulevard is up and running. Visit www.500flags.org.

Young Marines work toward Pearl Harbor
The Ashtabula County Young Marines are working to raise money for a trip to Pearl Harbor in December 2016 for the 75th anniversary of the attack on America.
The Young Marines will host a reverse raffle at 5:30 p.m. May 9 at the Jefferson Eagles, 133 S. Spruce St. in Jefferson.
Social hour is 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and dinner will be at 6:30. The drawing begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 and include a dinner, open bar and one chance at the main board. Dinner for two will be $65 with open bar and one chance at the main board.
For tickets, call Doc Lee at 440-344-8237.

Celebrate mothers 
at VFW post
A Mother’s Day Brunch will be hosted by the Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4358, 29412 White Road in Willoughby Hills, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 10.
Tickets in advance are $10 per person or $5 for children ages 5 through 10. Tickets must be purchased by May 3 at the post canteen from 3 to 9 p.m. For details, call Rosina Drenski at 440-944-4903.

Operation S.T.A.T. 
open house
Operation S.T.A.T. (Standing Tall for American Troops) will host an open house May 16 at VFW Post 3863, 33641 Vine St. in Eastlake.
The group will offer free hamburgers and hot dogs at the event, and will educate the public and veterans about services offered by Operation S.T.A.T. Other military organizations have been invited and will be on hand to answer questions, provide information and promote their organizations. The event is open to the public.

P.L.A.V. Auxiliary hosts 
golf outing
Polish Legion of American Veterans Ladies Auxiliary Chapter 31 will host a golf outing May 16 at Briardale Greens Golf Course, 24131 Briardale Ave. in Euclid. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Greater Cleveland Fisher House.
Tickets for the event are $70 per person and include coffee and doughnuts, lunch at the turn, green fees, cart and a full buffet dinner at PLAV Post 31, 850 E. 200th St. in Cleveland immediately following the outing.
Arrive at the course by 7 a.m. with a shotgun start scramble at 8. Tickets are available for the dinner only at $15 each. For details, call Theresa Krysiak at 216-337-8997 or John Major at 216-337-8996.

Blessing of the bikes
in Hambden
Hambden Congregational Church, 13840 GAR Highway in Hambden Township, will host a bike blessing and veterans tribute service on May 17.
All motorcycles are to gather on Chardon Square at 9:30 a.m. and depart at 9:45 a.m. for the service, which will begin at 10:30. All two- and four-wheel vehicles are invited to attend.
A picnic gathering will follow at Hambden Township Park, 9891 Old State Road in Chardon. Please bring a dish to share with all.
Hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks will be provided by Hambden Congregational Church and the cooking will be done by the Chardon VFW. Cleanup and other assistance will be by the Young Marines.

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.