Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial kick-off to summer. With that, we are once again kicking off our summer giveaway! It’s another year for our Great American Cookout giveaway! We have a grill courtesy of Elery Nau Hardware and gift cards to Rupert’s Specialty Meats and Frosty Beverage! That’s everything you need to start the summer grilling season out right! The entry form is right below, just fill it out and mail it in, or drop it off at our office! We need to have your entry by June 16th, and the winner will be announced in the June 28th edition so the winner can enjoy their prize over the 4th of July weekend!

We are also using this kick-off to summer to bring you our Summer Fun and Savings Special Section! You can check that out on pages 27-35!

While Memorial Day is a long weekend to start summer, let’s not forget that Memorial Day is meant to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.

Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that the date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

According to va.gov, local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well. Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. Interestingly, nearby Boalsburg claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.

In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events. By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May.

As you enjoy your long weekend, take some time to give thanks to those who gave their lives, so you have the freedom to BBQ and enjoy time with your friends and family.

Please take extra time to say a prayer for the families of the soldiers that have given their lives for our freedom since last Memorial Day.

Please be safe this Memorial Day weekend. Long weekends don’t always bring out the best judgement in people. If you drink, don’t drive. Uber, Lyft, or find yourself a DD. The safety of yourself and those around you aren’t worth risking driving drunk.