Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

Original Play at the Kent Theatre

May 25,26: Cedar Springs Players presents “Murder on the American Express” and original play by Scott Phillips. May 18, 19, 25, 26 at 7:30 p.m., May 20 at 3:00 pm at the Kent Theatre. #20,21

CS Historical Society’s Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 27: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 18th annual Memorial Cemetery Walk on Sunday, May 27th, at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ veterans will be Alfred Sliter, Civil War; Samuel Armstrong, Spanish/Philippine American War; Russell VanDore, World War I; Mark Wheeler, World War II; Don Miles, Korean War; Carl Straub, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentations in the museum. #20,21b

FREE Movie at Kent Theatre

May 29,30: En Gedi will present a FREE movie at the Kent Theatre, God’s Not Dead 2, on Tuesday, May 29th and Wednesday, May 30th both at 6:30 pm. The Christ-centered movie tells a story about high school history teacher Grace Wesley (Melissa Joan Hart) who is asked a question about Jesus in class, her response lands her in deep trouble. The ensuing epic court case could expel God from the classroom and the public square once and for all. God’s Not Dead 2 is a powerful call to action. #20,21b

Senior Lunch at Pine Grove Community Church

May 30: Pine Grove Senior Café would be honored for All Seniors age 60 and over to come celebrate our Veterans both those who are still here with us and those who have given the utmost; those who live on in our memory.  We would be honored to share a meal and memories with you as our guest.  We ask our guests who are Veterans to wear your colors.  Guests who wish to display memorabilia may do so.  At Noon Wednesday May the 30th in our Family Life Center on the North West corner of M-82 & Beech. #21

Reader’s Theatre at CS Library

May 31: Join the FUN with Actors del Arte Ensemble for their FREE popular Reader’s Theatre, Thursday, May 31st at 7 pm to be held in the Cedar Springs Library’s Community Room. The Actors will, present “Blade Runner” by Phillip Dick, based on his 1968 book, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” a work of science fiction. Two of his other books were made into major motion pictures. #21

Classic Car Hop

June 1: Rockford Springs Community Church, 5815 – 14 Mile Rd. (about 2.5 miles east of US131) will host a Classic Car Hop on Friday, June 1st (Rain date is June 8), from 5:30 – 7:30pm. Cruise on over! Load up the family truck, van & grocery getter with your family friends and neighbors! Join us for great food and fellowship while you check out some cool classic cars, street rods and antique autos. Free will donations. Proceeds to benefit RSCC Youth Group trip to the RYS Convention in July. For more information call 616-696-3656. #21,22p

Sand Lake HS Alumni Banquet

June 9: The 126th  (1892-2018) Annual Sand Lake High School Alumni Banquet will be held on Saturday, June 9th at Resurrection Lutheran Church, Sand Lake. Social hour at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm. The cost of the meal is $13.00. Open to anyone who attended Sand Lake Schools. Please RSVP by June 2 by calling your reservation in to Dave Groner 616-557-3098. #20-22p

Red Flannel Queen Pageant

June 10: Attention all young ladies living in, or attending school within, the Cedar Springs School District, including homeschoolers, who will be in the 11th grade in the 2018-19 school year. There will be a MANDATORY parent meeting for any young lady who would like to participate in the 2018 Red Flannel Pageant and her parent(s). The meeting will be Sunday, June 10th at 2 pm at the Springs Church (135 N. Grant St.). For more information or if there is a concern that you can’t make the meeting please contact pageant director Kaleigh Goehler directly at redflannelpageant@gmail.com. #19-23b

This photo shows Roger Allen walking the Avenue of Flags at Elmwood Cemetery in 2003. Photo by L. Allen.

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those that gave their lives while defending our country. It’s also a day to remember all those that have served and are now deceased. Inside this issue are the names of veterans buried in area cemeteries, and we honor them with this issue of The Cedar Springs Post, click here to download. If you know of a veteran’s name that is missing from the list, please let us know and we’ll add them for next year.

There will be several memorial activities and ceremonies taking place this weekend that residents are encouraged to take part in:

The Cedar Springs Historical Society will hold its 17^th annual Memorial Cemetery Walk on Sunday, May 28, at 2 p.m. to honor veterans of all wars. This year’s veterans will be Samuel Andrus, Civil War; Burton Smith, Spanish/American War; Leon Marsh, World War I; Neal Mackey, World War II; James Remington, Korean War; John Gardell, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentation in the museum.

The American Legion Glen Hill Post #287 in Cedar Springs will hold their annual Memorial Day program on Monday, May 29. They will be at Elmwood Cemetery at 9 a.m., Solon Cemetery at 10 a.m., East Nelson Cemetery at 10:45 a.m., and Veterans Memorial Park, (corner of Main and Oak in Cedar Springs) at 11:30 a.m. In case of bad weather, services will be held only in the American Legion Hall at 9 a.m. Lt/Col. Tom Noreen will be the speaker.

The Algoma Township Historical Society will hold Memorial Day services on Monday, May 29, at 1:00 p.m. at Algoma Township Memorial Park, located on the south end of the Algoma township cemetery on Grange Ave., south of 13 Mile Rd.) The service this year will honor Algoma Township’s WWI veterans, in memory of the 100-year anniversary. There will be music, readings, 21-gun salute and taps. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served by the Algoma Township Historical Society.

The Sand Lake/Cedar Springs Tri-Corner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7912 will have ceremonies on Monday, May 29. They will be at the VFW Post in Sand Lake at 10:30 a.m. and at Pierson Cemetery at 11 a.m. Rain or shine. The Tri County Band will also be at Pierson Cemetery.

The Sparta Township Historical Commission will hold their Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. at Lamoreaux Memorial Park, 150 Park St, in Sparta. The speaker will be Dwight Anderson, Sparta High School Class of 1970 and former SHS principal. The Sparta High School Band will perform under the direction of Jim Walsh. The Kent County Sheriff Color Guard will also be in attendance. There will be a dedication of the John Paul “Sharkey” Badgerow Memorial Bench. Immediately following the ceremony, the Michigan Memorial Wall will be displayed for the balance of the day.

Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

CS Renaissance Faire

May 20-21: 2017 Cedar Springs Renaissance Faire “Fellowship of the Springs” hosted by the Cedar Springs Area Chamber of Commerce will be held in Morley Park, Cedar Springs, on Saturday, May 20^th from 12-8 pm, with a royal dinner and entertainment from 6-8 pm; and Sunday, May 21^st from 12-6 pm. Vendors and live entertainment all afternoon both days (music, dancers, performers, and cosplay cast). #19,20b

Sing to the Lord

May 21: 2^nd Chance will be having a gospel hymn sing on Sunday, May 21^st at 6 pm. It will be at 2^nd Chance School at 810 – 17 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs (corner of 17 Mile and Olin Lakes Rd). Music will be provided by Deb and Larry Eadie and the message shared by Ron Parson. Invite your family and friends. The Sing to the Lord hymn sings will be every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month. It will also introduce you to 2nd Chance and its vision. The school is in the building stage, which when completed, will teach troubled teens through God and the horse. If you have questions, call 616-293-2150. See you there! #20b

Spruce up Salisbury Park

May 21: The newly formed Community Engagement Committee is having their first event on Sunday, May 21^st at 1 pm. The whole community is invited to Salisbury Park in Sand Lake to help clean out the horseshoe pits, power-wash the playground equipment, repair the gazebo, etc. Lemonade and cookies will be served. For more information you can contact Dave or Jan Dewey at 616-636-5982. #20

UMC Guitar Boot Camp 

May 22: Basic training for guitar will be taught at the Cedar Springs United Methodist Church. Registration will be held Monday, May 22^nd  at 7:00 PM. Students must be registered on this date.  To register enter at the South door Located on Church Street; class size is limited to 12 students. Registration fee is $60. A parent or guardian is required to sign. Guitar and all supplies are furnished these may be kept at the completion of the class. Classes will be Monday evenings for 12 weeks starting June 2nd. #19,20b

Auditions Canceled

May 22: The Cedar Springs Community Players regret to announce auditions for their next production, the classic tale of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” has been canceled. Production will be delayed until 2018. Any questions? Please use the following link  http://bit.ly/2ms32gX and leave your comment or question. #20

Cedar Springs Youth Football SIGN-UPS

May 23: Flag: 4-7years olds / Rocket: 3rd-6^th grades / Middle: 7th-8^th grades. Burger King: 5/23, 6/10, 6/20: 6pm-8pm. Shaner Ball Field: 5/18, 6/06, 6/14 6pm-8pm. Skinner Field: Tues & Thurs 7/11-7/27 5:30pm-7:30pm. Contact: April Victorson (616)890-5869 csyflsecretary@gmail.com. #19-26b

Honeybees: Pollinators, Stinging Insects and Honey Makers

May 25: Come learn about honeybees and their amazing abilities with Donald Rewa, seasoned beekeeper of 20 years. Followed by a Q&A. Thursday, May 25^th at 6:30 pm, Spencer Township’s KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. #20

Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 28: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 17^th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 28^th at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ veterans will be Samuel Andrus, Civil War; Burton Smith, Spanish/American War; Leon Marsh, World War I; Neal Mackey, World War II; James Remington, Korean War; John Gardell, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentation in the museum. #20,21b

CS Varsity Wrestling Fundraiser

May 31: The Cedar Springs Varsity Wrestling Team is striving to be their BEST this year! Support the team and purchase a tube of WHITENING Toothpaste by May 31^st!The team would like to attend The University of Iowa Competition Camp this summer, June 26-30th. This program will help increase their skills, performance and make way for a successful upcoming season! Visit the fundraiser Facebook event “Cedar Springs Varsity Wrestling Whitening Paste Fundraiser” and share on your social media platforms. COST: $20 per tube, plus shipping. 100% of all proceeds will be donated to the wrestling team. Visit www.havewhiteteeth.com to order some today or email fundraising host Kim Shuck, at kimberlyshuck@hotmail.com with any questions. #20,21p

Red Flannel Queen Pageant Time

June 3: Attention all young ladies living in or attending school in the Cedar Springs School Public School District who will be in the 11th grade in the 2017-2018 school year (including homeschooled, or private school attendees that live within the Cedar Springs Public School District boundaries): There will be a mandatory meeting for any young lady who would like to participate in the 2017 Red Flannel Pageant and her parent (at least one). The meeting will be Saturday, June 3^rd at 10 am at the Springs Church (135 N. Grant St, Cedar Springs, Michigan). There will be a makeup meeting for anyone not able to attend the first meeting on Sunday, June 4^th at 2 pm at the Springs Church. Informational packets can be picked up before the meetings in the main offices at Cedar Springs High School and Creative Technologies Academy starting Tuesday May 16th. For more information, contact pageant director Kaleigh Goehler at redflannelpageant@gmail.com. #20-22b

Irish Bowling Fun Day

June 3: Join Howard Christensen Nature Center, 16160 Red Pine Rd., Kent City, as we partner with the Sparta Celtic Festival for a day of Road Bowling on our trails. An exciting family fun experience that includes a pig roast, music and beverages! Saturday, June 3^rd all day. Register online or call the office, www.HowardChristensen.org, 616-675-3158. The entirety of the HCNC property will be closed on this day to accommodate the event taking place on all the trails. Please plan accordingly, or simply join the Irish fun. #20

Alpha Family Center LifeWalk

June 17: Alpha Family Center will hold its 22^nd Annual LifeWalk on Saturday, June 17^th at 10 am Morley Park in Cedar Springs. There will also be a 5K LifeRun at 8:30 am and a Kids FunRun at 9:15 am. There is a coloring and short essay contest too. The deadline to enter is Wednesday, June 7^th. For a pledge form or entry forms for contests stop by Alpha at 6 N. First St. in Cedar Springs or call 616-696-2616 for more information. You may also visit Alpha’s Facebook page to print off forms. #20,21b

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those that gave their lives while defending our country. It’s also a day to remember all those that have served and are now deceased. Inside this issue are the names of veterans buried in area cemeteries, and we honor them with this issue of The Cedar Springs Post. If you know of a veteran’s name that is missing from the list, please let us know and we’ll add them for next year.

There will be several memorial activities and ceremonies taking place this weekend that residents are encouraged to take part in:

The Cedar Springs Historical Society will hold its 16^th annual Memorial Cemetery Walk on Sunday, May 29, at 2 p.m. to honor veterans of all wars. This year’s veterans will be Ebenezer Jewell, War of 1812; John Roys, Mexican War; Myron Fogleson, Civil War; Joe Osborne, Spanish-American War; Franklin Sheldon, World War I; Kenneth Winters, World War II; Rex Morris, Korean War; and Timothy Towns, Vietnam War.

Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist in the presentation. They will leave the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 p.m. and return there for refreshments. If it rains, the event will be held in the museum. In case of severe weather warnings, the event will be canceled.

The American Legion Glen Hill Post #287 in Cedar Springs will hold their annual Memorial Day program on Monday, May 30. They will be at Elmwood Cemetery at 9 a.m., Solon Cemetery at 10 a.m., East Nelson Cemetery at 10:45 a.m., and Veterans Memorial Park, (corner of Main and Oak in Cedar Springs) at 11:30 a.m. In case of bad weather, services will be held only in the American Legion Hall at 9 a.m. Lt/Col. Tom Noreen will be the speaker.

The Sand Lake/Cedar Springs Tri-Corner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7912 will have ceremonies on Monday, May 30. They will be at the VFW Post in Sand Lake at 10:30 a.m. and at Pierson Cemetery at 11 a.m. Rain or shine.

The Algoma Township Historical Society will hold Memorial Day services on Monday, May 30, 2016, at 1:00 p.m. at Memorial Park, located on the south end of the Algoma township cemetery on Grange Ave., south of 13 Mile Rd.) The service this year will honor Algoma Township’s WWII veterans, including tributes from the families of the Powell brothers, Gabe and Russell, who both passed away this last year; John Carlton Sjogren, medal of honor recipient and the statue that is underway to be erected in his honor at the Rockford area museum; and music from the Algoma Baptist Church choir. Following the ceremony, refreshments will be served by the Algoma Township Historical Society.

Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

16^th Annual Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 29: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 16^th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 29^th at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ veterans will be Ebenezer Jewell, War of 1812; John Roys, Mexican War; Myron Fogleson, Civil War; Joe Osborne, Spanish-American War; Franklin Sheldon, World War I; Kenneth Winters, World War II; Rex Morris, Korean War; Timothy Towns, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentations in the museum. #20,21p

DIY Spa for Teens

June 4,13: Make a variety of spa products from simple ingredients that you can take home, such as sugar and oatmeal scrubs, fizzy bath bombs and silky body lotion. Pre-registration is required for teens grades 6-12. Call 877-243-2466 to pre-register. Saturday, June 4^th at 11 am at the Spencer Township KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. Monday, June 13^th at 1:30 pm at the Nelson Township/Sand Lake KDL Branch, 88 Eighth St.  #21

Fresh Food Fairy

June 7: Meet this Fresh Food Fairy and her amazing smoothie bike! She’ll help you whip up a tasty treat and teach you all about healthy eating. The first 75 kids will receive a treat bag. For ages 6 and older. Tuesday, June 7^th at 6 pm at Spencer Township KDL Branch, 14960 Meddler Ave., Gowen. #21

Help Promote Literacy

June 9: The need is urgent at this time! The Literacy Center of West Michigan has scheduled and information session on Thursday, June 9^th, for prospective volunteer tutors. This session is held at 6 pm and lasts one hour. It allows persons interested in becoming volunteer tutors to find out more about the Center and its literacy programs. At the end of the session there will be an opportunity to sign up for tutor training. By training people to be tutors, the Center can offer one-on-one reading help to adults asking for assistance in reading or English as a Second Language (ESL). You do not need to speak another language to tutor ESL. The Center is located at 1120 Monroe Ave., NW, Suite 240, Grand Rapids. Please call 616-459-5151 (ext. 10) or email us at info@literacycenterwm.org to register. #21

Nazareth Vacation Bible School at Solon Center Wesleyan Church

June 12: Hey kids! Come for VBS beginning Sunday evening, June 12th from 6:30 – 8 pm. It’s family Night, so bring the whole family to enjoy the fun of the Double KK Petting zoo (weather permitting) and a hot dog roast. VBS continues through Thursday where you’ll make new friends, sing great songs, play fun games, experience Nazareth…where Jesus was a Kid and visit the market places of His home town. Monday through Thursday VBS is for children 4 years old through the 5th grade. Please pre-register by calling the church office @ 696-3229 or online at http://scwchurch.com/#/get-connected/vbs-registration. The church is located at 15671 Algoma Avenue, just north of 19 Mile Road. Come join the fun! #21-23p

Alpha Family Center Annual LifeWalk

June 18: Cedar Springs Alpha Family Center will host its annual LifeWalk Events on Saturday, June 18^th at Morley Park in Cedar Street. 5K LifeRun at 8:30 am, Kid’s FunRun at 9:15 am and LifeWalk at 10:00 am, and Baby Bottle Blessing change drive now thru June 19^th. LifeWalk is a great time for families which includes a coloring contest for ages 3-10 (deadline to enter is June 1^st ), a clown, face painting, balloons, refreshments, door prizes and the chance for everyone to help local families in a very real way. To participate in LifeWalk 2016 pick up your pledge form, a baby bottle for the change drive and an entry form for the coloring contest by stopping into Alpha on Mondays 11 to 5 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 – 4 pm. For more information you may call 616-696-2616. #20,21p

Summer Solstice Run with the Sun 3k

June 21: Celebrate the longest day of the year with a Cross Country 3k at Howard Christensen Nature Center, 16160 Red Pine Dr., Kent City. Tuesday, June 21^st at 7 pm for registration. Water and post run refreshments provided. All runners receive a T-Shirt and entry into prize drawings. Medals and prizes for top 3 in each of 4 categories. Pre-register by June 14^th. Cost: $15, members $10. Registration received June 14^th to race day $20. www.HowardChristensen.org, 616-675-3158. #21

The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 16th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 29, at 2 p.m. to honor veterans of all wars.

This year’s veterans will be Ebenezer Jewell, War of 1812; John Roys, Mexican War; Myron Fogleson, Civil War; Joe Osborne, Spanish-American War; Franklin Sheldon, World War I; Kenneth Winters, World War II; Rex Morris, Korean War; and Timothy Towns, Vietnam War.

Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation.

They will leave the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings, the event will be canceled. In case of rain, the presentation will be done at the museum.

Hometown Happenings articles are a community service for non-profit agencies only. Due to popular demand for placement in this section, we can no longer run all articles. Deadline for articles is Monday at 5 p.m. This is not guaranteed space. Articles will run as space allows. Guaranteed placement is $10, certain restrictions may apply. You now can email your Hometown Happenings to happenings@cedarspringspost.com please include name and phone number for any questions we may have.

Praise the Lord at Cowboy Church

May 22: 2nd Chance will be having Cowboy Church on Sunday, May 22nd at 6 pm. It will be at 2nd Chance School at 810 – 17 Mile Rd. Cedar Springs (corner of 17 Mile and Olin Lakes Rd). The message will be shared by Harvey and Patti Becker, who will be sharing their music with us. Invite your family and friends. Cowboy Church will be every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. Each service will have different people sharing God’s word and music. If you have questions, call 616-293-2150. See you there! #20

Senior Lunch at Pine Grove Community Church

May 25: Pine Grove Senior Café would be honored for all Seniors age 60 and over to come celebrate our Veterans both those who are still here with us, those who have given the utmost and those who live on in our memory.  We would also be honored to serve a meal of Salisbury steak, a Veggie and bread topped off with Orangesicle cookie bars for desert.  Lunch will be served Wednesday May 25th at Noon in our Family Life Center on the northwest corner of M-82 & Beech. #20

16th Annual Memorial Cemetery Walk

May 29: The Cedar Springs Historical Society is holding its 16th annual Memorial Cemetery walk on Sunday, May 29th at 2 pm to honor veterans of all wars. This years’ veterans will be Ebenezer Jewell, War of 1812; John Roys, Mexican War; Myron Fogleson, Civil War; Joe Osborne, Spanish-American War; Franklin Sheldon, World War I; Kenneth Winters, World War II; Rex Morris, Korean War; Timothy Towns, Vietnam War. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. The Glen Hill Post of the American Legion honor guard will assist at the presentation. We will leave from the museum in Morley Park at 1:30 pm and return there for refreshments. In case of severe weather warnings we will cancel the event. In case of rain we will do the presentations in the museum. #20,21p

HCNC Summer Camps

June 14: Beginning June 14th Howard Christensen Nature Center will be holding summer camps. Capture the Flag Camp – June 14-16, Animal Adaptations I – June 20-24, Nature Artists – June 27-30, Team Building I – July 11-15, Jr. Backpacking – July 19-20 (overnight), Archery Camp – July 26-28, Survival Camp I – July 28-29 (overnight), Team Building II – August 1-5, Animal Adaptations II – August 8-12, Survival Camp II – August 18-19 (overnight). Visit the website for more information, www.HowardChristensen.org. The nature center is located at 16160 Red Pine Dr., Kent City. 616-675-3158. #20

Alpha Family Center Annual LifeWalk

June 18: Cedar Springs Alpha Family Center will host its annual LifeWalk Events on Saturday, June 18th at Morley Park in Cedar Street. 5K LifeRun at 8:30 am, Kid’s FunRun at 9:15 am and LifeWalk at 10:00 am, and Baby Bottle Blessing change drive now thru June 19th. LifeWalk is a great time for families which includes a coloring contest for ages 3-10 (deadline to enter is June 1st ), a clown, face painting, balloons, refreshments, door prizes and the chance for everyone to help local families in a very real way. To participate in LifeWalk 2016 pick up your pledge form, a baby bottle for the change drive and an entry form for the coloring contest by stopping into Alpha on Mondays 11 to 5 pm, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10 – 4 pm. For more information you may call 616-696-2616. #20,21p

HCNC Cooking With The Stars

June 25: Howard Christensen Nature Center is seeking 8 students to compete with local celebrity chefs in this “Cutthroat Camp” “Chopped” style competition. To apply contact the office, 616-675-3158. Spectators welcome $10 tickets.  #20

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor those that gave their lives while defending our country. It’s also a day to remember all those that have served and are now deceased. Inside this issue are the names of veterans buried in area cemeteries, and we honor them with this issue of The Cedar Springs Post, click here to download. If you know of a veteran’s name that is missing from the list, please let us know and we’ll add them for next year.

There will be several memorial activities and ceremonies taking place this weekend that residents are encouraged to take part in:

The Cedar Springs Historical Society will hold its 13th annual Memorial Cemetery Walk on Sunday, May 26, at 2pm to honor veterans of all wars. This year’s veterans will be Cyrus Fleck, Civil War; Charles Davis, Spanish American War; Royal Kent, WWI; Charles Crites, WWII; Dwight Shier, Korea; LaVern “Bill” Avery, Vietnam. Biographical and historical information will be presented at each gravesite. We will leave the museum at 1:30pm and return there for refreshments. If it rains, the event will be held in the museum. In case of severe weather warnings, the event will be canceled.

The American Legion Glen Hill Post #287 in Cedar Springs will hold their annual Memorial Day program on May 27, with 5th District Senior Vice-Commander Rex Lambert as guest speaker. They will be at Elmwood Cemetery at 9 a.m., Solon Cemetery at 10 a.m., East Nelson Cemetery at 10:45 a.m., and Veterans Memorial Park, (corner of Main and Oak in Cedar Springs) at 11:30 a.m. In case of bad weather, services will be held only in the American Legion Hall at 9 a.m. The Cedar Springs High School Marching Band will also do several songs.

The Sand Lake/Cedar Springs Tri-Corner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #7912 will have ceremonies on Monday, May 27. They will be at the VFW Post in Sand Lake at 10:30 a.m., and will then be at Pierson Cemetery at 11 a.m. The Tri County Marching Band will also be on hand.

Algoma Township will hold their service on Monday, May 27, at their Veteran’s Memorial Park at the Algoma Township Cemetery at 10515 Grange Ave., at 1:00 p.m. The service will include the VFW Post 3946, 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Co. F reenactment group, Algoma Baptist Church Choir, and other participants. The service will honor the second and final list of Algoma Township’s Civil War Veterans, in keeping with the Civil War anniversary theme. The 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Co. F—reenactment Civil War Soldiers will participate and a walking tour will be held in the cemetery of the Civil War Soldier’s gravesites following the ceremony. Refreshments will be served after the ceremony by the Algoma Township Historical Society.