VFW event marks Independence Day early

The festivities featured food, activities and music. It was held Sunday because of scheduling conflicts.

By KATHERINE BLOK

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 3, 2000

SPRING HILL -- Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10209 Ladies' Auxiliary helped Hernando residents get an early start to their Independence Day celebrations Sunday.

About 80 people -- VFW members, their families and members of the public -- came to an indoor picnic at the VFW hall on Spring Hill Drive. Food and drinks were available for a small fee and entertainment, including acrobats and a horse-and-buggy ride, were provided by the auxiliary.

Peggy Koulan, the auxiliary's president, said the VFW's annual Fourth of July event was moved to Sunday because July 4 is a Tuesday and a regular bingo game is played at the VFW hall on Tuesday nights. Also, many VFW members and community residents do not drive at night, which would make a Tuesday night celebration difficult.

The Ladies' Auxiliary, which organizes events like Sunday's picnic for various holidays, will donate all proceeds from the picnic to cancer aid and research charities, Koulan said.

The philanthropic aspect of the event is what brought Betty Soyak and Viola Mastrullo to the picnic, they said.

Simply celebrating the patriotic holiday was reason enough for George Dobina, the post chaplain.

"We're very, very patriotic," Dobina said of his family. "My dad was born in Hungary, but you wouldn't know it -- he was the first one to take his hat off (and put it over his heart to salute the American flag)."

A meal and the social atmosphere was what brought American Legion members Roy and Margene Erickson to the VFW. Roy Erickson, who served in the South Pacific for 31/2 years during World War II, said his experience as a veteran gives him a special appreciation for the meaning of Independence Day.

"I've gained a respect for the flag and what all the people who fought before us fought for," said Wayne Reedy, a 24-year Navy veteran. "They gained our freedom."

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