Members of American Legion Gold Star Post 191 of Mount Airy invite area residents to set aside a small portion of their holiday weekend to remember the many veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
On Monday, Mount Airy's 1995 Memorial Day Service will be held at 11 a.m. at Pine Grove Chapel on South Main Street.
Ernest M. Snyder, a retired brigadier general and Thurmont resident, will be the guest speaker at the service, which has been a Mount Airy tradition since 1947.
Mr. Snyder, director of administrative services in the office of Maryland's secretary of state, has a total of 34 years of military service.
This includes 25 years of active commissioned service, which began with an assignment as a rifle platoon leader in 1962 and ended with his retirement in 1988 as assistant adjutant general for Army.
Mr. Snyder is a minister at the Monocacy Congregation Church of the Brethren, Rocky Ridge. He is also financial manager for the Governor's Military Monuments Commission, a member of the steering committee for the National Flag Day Foundation and Maryland's flag protocol officer.
His work on a flag amendment committee about eight months ago brought Mr. Snyder into contact with Post 191 Commander Phil Dorsey. Mr. Dorsey said he discovered that Mr. Snyder was a good speaker and that he had been born in Mount Airy, and thought that would make him a perfect candidate to be a guest speaker at the Memorial Day Service.
Mr. Snyder said the focus of his Memorial Day speech will "have a lot to do with motivation. I am also a minister, and I feel very strongly about the value of sacrificial service."
The ceremony will begin outside the historic chapel with the traditional raising of the flag and lowering it to half-staff. The ceremony will move inside the chapel for a program of prayer, patriotic hymns and remembrances of all veterans.
When the indoor portion of the service is finished, participants will file outside for the placing of a wreath at the two monuments that honor Mount Airy's war dead. The first monument was dedicated in 1957 to honor members of the armed forces who gave their lives during World Wars I and II and the Korean War. The second monument honors four local servicemen who died during the Vietnam War.
A traditional 21-gun salute will conclude the service. The Marine Corps has been invited to provide an honor guard, bugler and rifle detail.
Mr. Dorsey said area Scouts will assist with the observance. Youngsters also will be welcome at the ceremony with their families. Everyone attending the ceremony is invited after the service to American Legion Post 191, at 801 Prospect Road, where a free, light lunch will be served by members of Post 191's Auxiliary.
*
Apologies to Mount Airy Middle School student Julie Miller, creator of an adorable papier mache "Uncle Wiggily" that was among donations made by her school's eighth-grade Palette Club to the children's department of the Mount Airy branch library. Miss Miller's name was inadvertently cut from last week's column.
*
Bingo fans are needed to help make the Winfield Community Fire Department's first colossal Bingo Banquet a success June 30.
Advance tickets only are being sold for the fund-raiser, which offers an evening of food, fun and fabulous prizes for a $25 ticket. Doors will open at 4 p.m. June 30 to give fans plenty of time to pick a lucky location.
A fried chicken and roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn, rolls and a fruit cup will be served from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Iced tea and coffee will be offered all evening.
Bingo games will start at 8 p.m. Players will compete for a bounty of cash prizes and an assortment of door prizes, including a 19-inch color television set.
The package includes 20 regular games, six cards each; one "little x -- Big X" game; seven special games, five cards each; and two jackpot games, five cards each. A meal ticket and door prize ticket are included in the package.
The Bingo Banquet planners hope to sell at least 100 tickets by June 1 to ensure that the fund-raiser can be held. call (410) 549-9476 for more information or to reserve tickets by the June 1 deadline.
The Winfield fire hall is smoke-free, handicapped-accessible, and air-conditioned. It is at 1320 W. Old Liberty Road.
Bingo games also are held at the Winfield firehouse at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday.
*
Congratulations to the Mount Airy Kiwanis Club for 46 years of service to our community.
The organization marked its anniversary at a charter night celebration May 16 at the Firemen's Activities Building. Guests included District Governor David Espie and several past club presidents.
Members of the South Carroll High School Key Club and Mount Airy Middle School Builders Club, two youth organizations supported by the Mount Airy Kiwanis Club, also attended.
*
The continuing relief program for the Oklahoma Bombing disaster will receive help from the Lions Club of Mount Airy via the Lions Club of Oklahoma City.
The local Lions recently sent $250 to the Oklahoma group, opting to let the latter group decide how to use the money.
Mount Airy Lions will accept any donations for the people of Oklahoma City and forward them to the Oklahoma City Lions Club. Information: (301) 829-LION.
