AROUND CHAPIN AND IRMO

Memorial Day weekend will be busy. It marks the beginning of Summer, graduations, and a weekend to honor all those in the armed forces who have given their lives in service to our nation. This weekend can be an emotionally hard weekend for the wives, children, mothers and fathers, and family members who have lost loved ones.

Memorial Day started 150 years ago when informal commemorations in small towns and cities were held to remember those killed in the Civil War. General John Logan, in 1868, issued a decree that May 30 should be the day to honor the more than 620,000 soldiers that died in the Civil War. Memorial Day did not become an officially recognized until 1971, when American Soldiers were intensely involved in the Vietnam War.  Since I had classmates who lost their fathers in Vietnam, Memorial Day touches my heart. Get out your American flags and fly them high to honor all the fallen, their families, and their sacrifices.

 Chapin American Legion Post 193, is having a ceremony May 28 at 10 a.m.  at Chapin Town Hall.

Families will celebrate the weekend at Lake Murray, and Dreher Island State Park will be full. We can all thank William “Billy” Dreher for donating his land in the 1930s for the park we all love.

Farmer’s markets are coming up quickly. Chapin Farmers Market will be June 2 starting at 8:30 a.m  on Clark Street, and the Irmo Famer’s Market is every Tuesday,  5-8 p.m.

Looking to serve your community as a volunteer? Chapin Town Hall needs people to help plan the events for the Chapin Labor day festivities. Contact Nichole at communications@chapinsc.com or call 803-345-2444 for more information.

The mixture of live music, Lake Murray and helping raise funds for Hidden Wounds, is a recipe for fun in the sun June 2, noon to 6 p.m at Spence’s Island. The Drift Jam Flotilla Music festival is raising funds for Hidden Wounds, a nonprofit organization to help military personnel with combat injuries, and PSTD. Check out the website drift-jam.com for more information.