Fostoria Focus
June 8, 2003

Memorial Day Pick-ups
By Leonard Skonecki

Memorial Day in Fostoria was a big success and the Focus has a couple of things to add about this year's observation.

First off, Memorial Day services here don't begin on Memorial Day. They begin on the preceding Sunday with what is called Memorial Sunday.

Each year a local church hosts local veterans as part of its Sunday services. This year it was Faith Tabernacle Church on Summit Street, pastored by Rev. Donald Goodwin.

The Fostoria United Veterans, the firing squad and color guard, attended as well as members of our local veterans posts' women's auxiliaries and others. All veterans are invited to attend this service each year.

Afterwards, the veterans were treated to a potluck lunch with Faith Tabernacle's congregation.

The veterans want to thank Faith Tabernacle for their hospitality.

Second, the Focus probably erred when we said that between 300 to 400 people attended Memorial Day services at Fountain Cemetery. Two of the organizers told us that at least 460 programs were distributed and, of course, many people didn't have programs. So attendance was no doubt over 500.

(The Focus attributes this error to Leonard. His eyes don't work as well anymore and his counting is slipping, too.)

Finally, for the last several years Memorial Day services have included a fly-over by fighter planes of the Ohio Air National Guard. This year, there were two F-16s.

They usually fly over the cemetery at a fair altitude. But this year, they flew in quite low and it was very impressive to see them up close.

If you weren't there, you missed quite a site.