The temperatures began the climb toward 90 degrees in the past week and summer has finally arrived.
Summer came officially for me on Sunday with a visit to the Gathering of Eagles air show. I saw a lot of familiar faces from the aviation community and got to take a look at the beautiful airplanes on the ground. The show never fails to please, even with soaring temperatures.
Members of various veteran groups were there in an effort to reach out to the public and offer membership in their organizations.
Beginning today, Painesville Party in the Park will offer music all weekend for those who choose to visit and listen. Once again members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars will be there to offer information and membership opportunities for those veterans who meet eligibility requirements.
Veterans Day at the Lake County Fair will be Aug. 14. On that day, the fair is free for all honorably discharged veterans. In addition, the Lake County Veteran Service Commission will host a booth and a ceremony marking the end of both the Korean War in 1953 and the Vietnam War in 1973. The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. (1800 hours).
No matter what the venue, there always seems to be a veteran involved.

Painesville post at Party in the Park
Painesville VFW Post 2595 will host a booth Friday through Sunday at Painesville Party in the Park. Post members will have information on all of the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary programs.
The programs include youth scholarship and volunteer opportunities as well as community recognition. Membership information for the VFW, Ladies Auxiliary, Men’s Auxiliary and Junior Girls Unit will be available. This year, a second year’s membership will be free for any eligible veterans or Ladies Auxiliary member joining at Party in the Park.
The post will offer a free drawing for a flag set.
Please call Jill or George Householder at 440-352-9522 for information.

Willoughby Legion offers steaks on the grill
Palmer-Roberts American Legion Post 214, 3404 Center St. in Willoughby, will again be offering steak dinners on Friday evenings 5 to 7:30 p.m. through Sept. 6. The dinners are open to the public. For details, call 440-942-7762.

VFW offers fish fry dinners
VFW Post 1500, 38295 Pelton Road in Willoughby, is hosting fish fry dinners the first and third Fridays of the month at the post home. For details, call the post home at 440-951-9233.

Sons of the AMVETS serve up burgers
AMVETS Post 109, Sons of the AMVETS, 7847 Lake Shore Blvd. in Mentor-on-the-Lake, will be serving sirloin steak burgers every Friday during July. The burgers, with several toppings available, will served from 5 to 8 p.m. All burgers will include fresh cut fries and are $6.50. For details, call the post at 440-257-9217.

24th annual golf classic July 27
The annual Col. J.M. Chambers Detachment 555 of the Marine Corps League will host its 24th annual Golf Classic beginning at noon July 27 at Madison Country Club.
Entrance fee is $120 per player and includes 18 holes of golf in a scramble format, lunch, cart and a steak dinner at Gunny’s Hall immediately following the golf. Trophies will be awarded to the first-place team and numerous skills prizes, such as long drives, closest to the pin, etc., also will be awarded.
To play or be a sponsor, call Gene Deka at 440-668-8777.

Euclid Vets host Classic Car Cruise-In
The Euclid Veterans Association will host a Classic Car Cruise-In from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 28 at Tizzano’s Party Center parking lot, 1361 E. 260th St. in Euclid, just south of Route 2.
Any and all classics up to 1979 are welcome. There is no charge for the show, but donations for the wounded will be gratefully accepted. Dash plaques will be given to the first 100 cars.
Donations will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project and Veteran’s Best Friend. For details call Al Nagy at 216-289-1632.

Ladies Auxiliary hosts Chinese Auction and Bake Sale
The Ladies Auxiliary of VFW Post 6519, 752 Water St. in Chardon, will host a Chinese auction and bake sale from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Aug. 3. There will be more than 100 items to bid on. Tickets are priced six for $4; 12 for $7 or 20 for $10. Winner need not be present. Just put your name and phone number on the ticket.
For details, call Paula Geiss at 440-625-0192.

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.

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.