Memorial Day

Washington County All county administrative offices will be closed Monday for Memorial Day. Trash will not be collected. The County Commuter will not operate Monday. City of Hagerstown City of Hagerstown offices are closed Monday. Trash, recycling and yard waste collection will be delayed by one day throughout the week. Towns Boonsboro Town Hall is closed Monday. Clear Spring Town Hall is closed Monday. Funkstown Town Hall is closed Monday.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Remember those who served on Memorial Day To the editor: Memorial Day is set aside for us to remember and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. Thanks to them, we can be with family and enjoy a day of picnics. We should also take time to think about and pray for those who came home safely and those who have served or are currently serving. We could never repay them, but saying thank you is a start. Don't forget those who “sit and wait” - the parents, children, siblings and friends who wait anxiously for their loved ones to come home, and the unfortunate ones who got that awful telegram or knock on their door telling them their loved one was not coming home.

The summer season won't be ushered in this year by the annual Halfway Park Days at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park. The president of Halfway Lions Club, the organization that hosts the fundraiser, said the cancellation of the traditional Memorial Day weekend event was due to circumstances beyond the club's control. The club last year observed the 33rd Halfway Park Days. The 34th will have to wait until Memorial Day weekend in May 2014. Club President Samuel Key said Wednesday that he has been helping to run and organize Halfway Park Days for the past 25 years.

 Rotary Club of Martinsburg will host a free pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. Monday, May 27, at War Memorial Park, off Tennessee Avenue, Martinsburg. Call 304-262-4200.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the beginning of swimming pool season. For the first time since Labor Day, swimsuits will emerge from storage and the scent of suntan oil will float in the air. Area pools and beaches have been prepping for months for opening day. Waynesboro (Pa.) Assistant Borough Manager Jason Cohen said the borough's public pool is ready for a banner weekend. “We're pretty much geared up and ready to go,” he said. The pool, at the intersection of Brown and Garfield streets in Waynesboro, includes features such as a zero-depth entrance, two slides and bubblers.

Memorial Day may kick off the summer season, but in Washington County, it also prompts a measure of reflection.  War has played a large role in the history of Washington County, and with it a connection to the broader American story.  It has given us a shared sense of community. Antietam, of course, ravaged the homes and fields around Sharpsburg during the Civil War, and less than a century later, the Allied war effort harnessed Washington County's manufacturing to help win World War II. More recently, men and women have answered the call and fought in the Middle East.

Saturday, May 25 • Rose Hill Cemetery, 600 S. Potomac St., annual Memorial Day service, 9:30 a.m. Speaker is U.S. Army Lt. Col. (retired) Arthur Callaham, Civil War re-enactors bagpiper, color guard and more. • Sharpsburg, 145th annual Memorial Day Commemoration and Parade - Wreath laying ceremony, 11 a.m., Town Square and 3 p.m. at National Cemetery; Parade through town, 1:30 p.m.   Saturday, May 25-Sunday, May 26 • Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, Md., holds public programs and hosts a memorial flag display in honor of those soldiers who fell during the Battle of Monocacy.

The annual Halfway Park Days/Family Fun Day has been canceled. The event was to be held Saturday at Martin L. “Marty” Snook Memorial Park in Halfway. The event, long known as Halfway Park Days and hosted by the Halfway Lions Club, has been traditionally held over the Memorial Day weekend. Samuel Key, president of the Halfway Lions Club, which sponsors the event, submitted the following: “Due to circumstances beyond our control, the Halfway Lions Club has found it necessary to cancel the 2013 Family Fun Day/Halfway Park Days.

Derek Hays of Hagerstown sometimes travels to the beach for Memorial Day weekend but said he plans to stay home and have a barbecue with his family this year. “Money's a little tight, gas is a little tight, so it just doesn't pay to drive down there for two days and pay the rates that they're charging for the hotels,” said Hays, 26. “It just isn't worth it.” Despite the improved economy and lower gas prices compared to last year, fewer U.S. residents and fewer Marylanders are expected to travel Memorial Day this year than last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

1. Rose Hill Memorial Day service Retired Army Lt. Col. Art Callaham will speak. Military honors by AMVETS Post 10. Rick Conrad, shown, will play bag pipes and the Polished Four will perform barbershop quartet music. Free refreshments. 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at Rose Hill Cemetery, 600 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown. Call 301-739-3630. 2. Memorial Day concert Cumberland Valley School of Music Community Symphonic Band will perform a Memorial Day concert. 7 p.m. Monday, May 27, at Chambersburg Memorial Park bandshell, East McKinley Street, Chambersburg, Pa. Free.

Washington County All county administrative offices will be closed Monday for Memorial Day. Trash will not be collected. The County Commuter will not operate Monday. City of Hagerstown City of Hagerstown offices are closed Monday. Trash, recycling and yard waste collection will be delayed by one day throughout the week. Towns Boonsboro Town Hall is closed Monday. Clear Spring Town Hall is closed Monday. Funkstown Town Hall is closed Monday.