Memorial Day

Tri-State-area communities will be remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom this weekend by hosting ceremonies, services, parades and speakers. Events in Franklin County and West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle include: Berkeley County, W.Va. In Martinsburg, W.Va., the traditional Memorial Day service at War Memorial Park along North Tennessee Avenue will begin at 10 a.m., according to Steve Catlett, executive director of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Parks & Recreation Board.

City of Hagerstown The City of Hagerstown offices will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day. City officials said emergency and continuous operations will remain open. Washington County Government Offices and services of Washington County government will be closed Monday in observance of Memorial Day, according to a release from the county. The swimming pool at Martin L. "Marty" Snook Park in Halfway will be open from noon to 6 p.m. Essential government functions such as fire and rescue 911 dispatch and the sheriff's department patrol division will operate on a normal schedule.

The following area ceremonies are planned in observance of Memorial Day: Sunday Morris Frock American Legion Post Auxiliary will host a ceremony in front of the Washington County Courthouse, West Washington Street, Hagerstown, 2 p.m. Cedar Lawn Memorial Park, 17636 W. Washington St., Hagerstown, 11 a.m., memorial wreath-laying and service by American Legion Post 42 Honor Guard. Featured speaker is Del. John P. Donoghue. Music and refreshments. Wreath-laying and parade by Clopper-Michael Unit 10, Ladies Auxiliary, Boonsboro American Legion.

A host of activities in the Tri-State area are planned to remember and honor our nation's war dead during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Franklin County, Pa. In Waynesboro, Pa., the family of Staff Sgt. Richard Tieman will serve as grand marshals for the annual Memorial Day parade, according to organizer Kathy Shaffer from the Combined Veterans Council. Tieman, of Waynesboro, Pa., died last week when his convoy was hit by a suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan.

The Central Maryland AFL-CIO Labor Council will host a Workers Memorial Day service Monday, April 29, at 10 a.m. at 511 E. Franklin St. in Hagerstown. The service is held each year to remember those who have been killed or injured performing their jobs and to remind the community that it must renew and continue its commitment for safe workplaces. The program will last approximately one hour. Refreshments will be served before and after the program. The community is invited. The Central Maryland AFL-CIO Labor Council represents AFL-CIO affiliated unions in Frederick and Washington counties.

Dozens of people gathered in front of the Washington County Courthouse Sunday afternoon to remember the beginnings of Memorial Day when it was “baptized with the tears of families” mourning over soldiers killed in the Civil War. Timothy J. Cooke, associate director of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Martinsburg, W.Va., relayed the story of Memorial Day during a service organized by Morris Frock Post 42 of the American Legion. Cooke told the crowd about how Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, was so moved by the loving devotion to veterans after the Civil War that he designated a day to remember them.

Through prayer, music, Civil War re-enactors in period dress, an honor guard and speeches, Rose Hill Cemetery paid tribute to Memorial Day in a service Saturday. "It's good to see Americans honor our war veterans," said Gary Seavolt of Clear Spring. His wife, Marguerite, said she wanted to attend the Rose Hill Cemetery service for some time and was able to for the first time this year. She said she has a deepened appreciation for veterans because of their son's service in the U.S. Air Force.

The end of May signaled the beginning of summer in my Jersey shore childhood. School wouldn't be out for another couple of weeks. It might not be quite warm enough to go to the beach, but the feeling was distinct. Something in the sunlight and the way the air felt said spring was almost over, and the lazy, hazy days were not far off. Memorial Day — then called Decoration Day — was the bridge that crossed the seasons for me. It didn't become a national holiday on the last Monday of May until 1971, but it had been observed for a long time in American towns in the years immediately following the Civil War, according to information at www.usmemorialday.org.

Between the two of them, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Corporals Dustin Tabler and Vincent Tiong made 79 of the 123 DUI arrests the department racked up in 2012. Sheriff Pete Dougherty recognized Tabler's 47 arrests and the 32 DUI arrests by Tiong on Wednesday during a National Police Week event at the department's headquarters in Kearneysville, W.Va. According to Tabler and Tiong, an arresting officer normally needs up to 3 1/2 hours to process a DUI arrest. “That's true for the newer people, but we've got it down to a science,” Tabler said.

Morris Frock Post 42 American Legion will host a Memorial Day program Sunday, May 26, at 2 p.m. in front of the Washington County Courthouse.  Music will start at 1:30 p.m. followed by the wreath laying in memory of all deceased veterans. Following the wreath- laying ceremony, Hagerstown Mayor David S. Gysberts and Ronald L. Bowers will make a presentation. A gun salute will be given by Post 42 Honor Guard.  Any organization that wishes to lay a wreath can call Post Commander Kevin L. Poole at 301-733-7676.

The Central Maryland AFL-CIO Labor Council will host a Workers Memorial Day service Monday, April 29, at 10 a.m. at 511 E. Franklin St. in Hagerstown. The service is held each year to remember those who have been killed or injured performing their jobs and to remind the community that it must renew and continue its commitment for safe workplaces. The program will last approximately one hour. Refreshments will be served before and after the program. The community is invited. The Central Maryland AFL-CIO Labor Council represents AFL-CIO affiliated unions in Frederick and Washington counties.

Washington County will play host to a professional barbecue competition Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, at Fort Ritchie in Cascade.  Dubbed “The Memorial Day Pignic,” the competition will feature 45 to 60 professional barbecue teams from the East Coast competing for more than $7,500 in cash prizes and awards.  Many of the teams competing have been featured on the TV show “BBQ Pitmasters” and include the KCBS National Team of...

Chief Master Sgt. Roland Shambaugh of the 167th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard made his message loud and clear Wednesday night. “Freedom's not free,” said Shambaugh, a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who served in both Gulf wars, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. “We take a lot for granted in this country .... We've got it so good here, but it's been preserved through the blood and sacrifice of our service members.” Shambaugh, a resident of Berkeley Springs, W.Va., was the guest speaker at Smithsburg's Memorial Day ceremony, attended by close to 100 people at Veterans Park along West Water Street.

Korean War veteran John Bowman said he tried not to form bonds with other soldiers in case they got killed in combat. “I lost a couple fellas I knew,” Bowman said. “ I learned one thing in the Army real fast - you don't make friends.” Despite his convictions, Bowman still turned out Wednesday morning for the Washington County Joint Veterans Council Memorial Day ceremony at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park in Halfway. He remembered the nation's war dead with about 50 other people, many of them gray-haired veterans who, hindered by age, struggled to stand.

Before the Memorial Day service began Monday, the park pavilion was crowded with folks taking advantage of the Martinsburg Rotary Club's third annual Memorial Day free breakfast fundraiser which ran from 7 to 10 a.m. Club spokesman Mike Hornby said last year more than 650 pancake and sausage meals were served. Halfway through Monday morning's event, more than 450 had already been served. While the breakfast is free, the Rotary accepts donations. The annual event usually nets about $10,000, Hornby said.

For the past 25 years or so, Ron and Doll Koons of Greencastle have claimed their spot under a shady tree at Cedar Hill Cemetery to ensure a bird's-eye view of Greencastle's annual Memorial Day parade and service. The first thing they did upon arriving at the cemetery Monday was pay their respects to their relatives who made the ultimate sacrifice. “We're here because of them,” Doll Koons said. “And the ones that sacrificed that we could be here - it's an honor.” Ron Koons served in the U.S. Navy in the 1950s and their son, Matthew, served in Korea.

People jammed into parks and swimming pools and - despite scorching heat - others fired up grills, jumped on bicycles and turned out at favorite fishing spots during the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day. Several orange cones blocked the entrance into Greenbrier State Park at about 1 p.m. Monday because the park was at its capacity, a park ranger said. Dan Spedden, park manager for the Maryland Park Service, said the park, popular for its camping and lake, regularly fills up over Memorial Day weekend.

Activities and programs scheduled for Monday, May 28, through Friday, June 1, at senior citizens centers in Washington County, Md., and Franklin County, Pa.: Maryland Francis Murphy 20014 Rosebank Way, Hagerstown 240-313-9300, ext. 154 Lunch served Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 11:30 a.m.; and Wednesday at 11 a.m. Closed for Memorial Day - Monday Cards or games - Tuesday,...