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Military veterans enjoy free admission to Kings Island Memorial Day Weekend. Photo provided

Kings Island is offering special perks to veterans this Memorial Day weekend.

Military veterans receive free admission to the 364-acre Mason amusement park Friday through Monday.

The offer extends to active and retired military, National Guard, veterans with honorable or medical discharge and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps with government-issued ID.

Military personnel can also purchase admission tickets for members of their immediate family (up to six) for a discounted price of $29.99 each.

Military vets will also receive free admission and membership discounts of up to 20 percent at the Mason Community Center Saturday through Monday.

The center offers fitness machines, an indoor pool, gym and field house, game room, fitness activities and child care center.

Veterans who are already members can receive 10 free guest passes.

Valid military IDs are required for both offers and must be presented.  Present IDs to the ticket counter at Kings Island or to the member services desk at the Mason Community Center.

For Kings Island information, call 513-754-5700.  For Mason Community Center information, call 513-229-8555.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Events, Health & Fitness, Mason Community Center, The Beach Waterpark |

Tags: Tags: free admission, kings island, mason community center, memorial day, memorial day weekend, military, veterans, vets

Kings Island is celebrating veterans this Fourth of July with special military discounts.

Active and retired military personnel can enjoy free admission to the Mason amusement park July 3-5 and have the chance to purchase up to six discounted tickets for family members at $29.99 each when they show their military ID or DD form 214 at ticket windows.

This includes admission to KI’s new Soak City water park.  The $10 million water park expansion doubles its size to 33 acres and features new amenities and attractions, including a new second wave pool, sand volleyball courts, three times more chairs and open grass for lounging.

• Soak City water park debuts at Kings Island

The offer is part of KI’s Tribute to the Armed Forces program, which offers discounts to military personnel over the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays.

The park, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary season, is open daily through Aug. 26.  For more information, call 800-288-0808 or go to www.visitkingsisland.com.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Kings Island, News |

Tags: Tags: amusement park, cedar fair, fourth of july, free admission, july 4, kings island, mason, military, soak city, veterans

Military veterans enjoy free admission to Kings Island Memorial Day Weekend. Photo provided

Kings Island and the City of Mason are offering special perks to veterans this Memorial Day weekend.

Active duty and retired military veterans receive free admission to Kings Island today through Monday as part of the Mason amusement park’s Tribute to the Armed Forces program.

Military personnel can also purchase admission tickets for members of their immediate family (up to six) for a discounted price of $29.99 each.

This includes admission to KI’s new Soak City water park, which opens Saturday.  The $10 million water park expansion doubles its size to 33 acres and features new amenities and attractions, including a new second wave pool, sand volleyball courts, three times more chairs and open grass for lounging.

• Soak City water park debuts at Kings Island

The Mason Community Center is offering free admission and membership discounts of up to 20 percent to veterans Saturday through Monday.

The center offers fitness machines, an indoor pool, gym and field house, game room, fitness activities and child care center.  The offer also includes admission to the Lou Eves Municipal Pool, which features a climbing wall, water slide, baby pool, children’s play area and snack bar.

Veterans who are already members can receive 10 free guest passes.

Valid military IDs are required for both offers and must be presented.  Present IDs to the ticket counter at Kings Island or to the member services desk at the Mason Community Center.

For Kings Island information, call 513-754-5700.  For Mason Community Center information, call 513-229-8555.

Posted in: Arts & Entertainment, Community, Kings Island, News |

Tags: Tags: discounts, free admission, kings island, mason, mason community center, membership, memorial day, memorial day weekend, military, veterans

The Sons of the American Legion Squadron 194 will hold an all-you-can-eat Bluegrass breakfast Saturday at the Mason American Legion, 401 Reading Road.

The buffet-style breakfast boasts all the traditional favorites, including bacon, eggs, sausage gravy and biscuits, goetta, hash browns and sausage.

Proceeds from the event help find programs supported by the squadron, including Child Welfare, the Children’s Miracle Network, Buckeye Boys State and to support veterans and their families.

Cost is $8. For more information, call Jerry Behymer at 513-519-7595 or email behymerg@aol.com

Posted in: Community, Events |

Tags: Tags: american legion, breakfast, buckeye boys state, charity, child welfare, children's miracle network, mason, sone of the american legion, squadron 194, veterans

Paul McKibben reports:

The city of Mason wants the state to designate U.S. 42 in Warren County the “Warren County Veterans Highway” to honor veterans.

The state road in Warren County stretches from Wayne Township in the north to Deerfield Township in the south. It goes through Waynesville, Lebanon and Mason. Mason City Council’s veterans committee hopes the entire highway in Ohio would also get the designation. Statewide, the road runs from Hamilton County to Cuyahoga County.

Mason City Manager Eric Hansen said U.S. 42 was picked because of location. “It’s a strategic road that crosses the entire state. So it has the potential. It cuts through Warren County particularly,” he said.

Warren County Commissioner Dave Young said he would support the veterans designation on the entire part of U.S. 42 in the county.

“Anytime we can give credit to the folks that actually went out there and put their lives on (the) line to give us the ability to go do all the stuff we do here, I’m all for it,” he said.

The Ohio General Assembly would need to approve designating the highway throughout Warren County and the state.

U.S. 42 from Cuyahoga to Hamilton counties is also named the 42nd Rainbow Division Memorial Highway. In April 1945 during World War II, the 42nd Infantry Division went into the Dachau concentration camp in Nazi Germany, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Several other roads in Southwest Ohio have military designations. Some of them are:

Interstate 275 in Clermont County is the Staff Sgt. Matt Maupin Veterans Memorial Highway. Maupin, a 2001 Glen Este High School graduate, was driving a supply truck in April 2004 while serving in the Army in Iraq when his fuel convoy was ambushed and he was captured. His remains were found in 2008.

Ohio 129 in Butler County from Interstate 75 through Hamilton to the Indiana line is the Butler County Veterans Highway.

Ohio 4 in Fairfield from South Gilmore Road to Symmes Road is the Lance Cpl. Taylor Prazynski Memorial Highway. Prazynski, a 2003 Fairfield High School graduate who served with the Marines, died in combat in 2005 in Iraq.

Ohio 48 from Shelby County through Miami, Montgomery, Warren and Clermont counties is the USAF Pararescue Memorial Highway. The Air Force unit does combat search and rescue among other capabilities.

Posted in: Community, News |

Tags: Tags: city council, city of mason, dave young, eric hansen, mason, military, reading road, u.s. 42, us 42, veterans, warren county, warren county veterans highway

Students at Mason Intermediate celebrated Veterans Day on Nov. 11 with a special ceremony honoring local military veterans.  The Enquirer’s Leigh Taylor was there to capture these shots.  Click on each image to see a larger-resolution version.

Posted in: Schools |

Tags: Tags: mason intermediate, military, patriotism, photos, students, veteran's day, veterans

It’s Veteran’s Day. Here’s how Mason is celebrating the nation’s military veterans.

Mason Schools planned several early morning tributes to veterans at its schools, including a veteran’s breakfast, parade and ceremony. Liberty Bible Academy also held a flag-raising ceremony early this morning in which they honored local veterans.

What’s ahead for today:

• Mason Christian Village will hold Veteran’s Appreciation Day beginning at 11 a.m. at 411 Western Row Road.
• Mason Heights Elementary will hold a flag folding ceremony from 1-2 p.m. at 200 Northcrest Drive.

• The City of Mason will hold a Veteran’s Celebration at 7 p.m. at the Mason Municipal Center, 6000 Mason-Montgomery Toad. Guests are invited to visit the outdoor Mason Veterans Memorial near the southwest corner of the Municipal Center any time today.  Harry O. Rohde, World War II veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three clusters, and Purple Heart medals, will be the featured speaker. Mason Community Band will provide music.

• All Greater Cincinnati and Dayton area Papa John’s locations are committing $1 to the USO for every online order placed between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. today. Papa John’s has one Mason location at 5612 Tylersville Road.
• Military veterans work out free today between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. at Urban Active locations in Greater Cincinnati. Urban Active has one Mason area location at 5600 Deerfield Blvd. in Deerfield Township.

What’s ahead for this weekend:

• The Mason Community Band will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Mason Middle School, 6370 Mason-Montgomery Road. The band will perform the patriotic musical selection, “Freedom Keepers.

Submit your Veteran’s Day celebration photos to MasonBuzz. All photos will be featured in a special gallery on MasonBuzz.

Posted in: Community, Events, Recreational events |

Tags: Tags: armistice day, business, city of mason, concert, deerfield township, free, liberty bible academy, mason, mason christian village, mason community band, mason heights elementary, mason schools, military, papa john's, urban active, veteran's day, veterans

Mason city voters Tuesday returned two former council veterans and voted in one newcomer to Mason’s City Council, according to unofficial results from the Warren County Board of Elections.

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, former Mason councilman and mayor Tom Grossmann led the City Council race with 20.3 percent of the vote.

He was trailed by newcomer Barbara Berry Spaeth with 19.3 percent and former Mason councilman Victor L. Kidd with 17 percent of the votes.

Seven candidates vied for three positions on Mason’s City Council.

Incumbent Mike Gilb, a lawyer and former state representative for a northern area of Ohio, was edged out of the race after receiving 13.9 percent of votes.

The other two seats replace councilmembers Christine Shimrock, who chose not to seek a second term, and Tony Bradburn, who is forced to leave due to term limits.

Other candidates in the field were: Scott W. Pierce (11.9 percent), Brad Glass (9.5 percent) and Chet Mastalerz (7.9 percent).

Two candidates elected will prove to be familiar faces for many Mason voters.

Grossmann, 55, served two terms on Mason’s city council from 2001 to 2009 and as mayor from 2007 to 2009.  An attorney with nearly 30 years experience, he’s currently an assistant prosecutor with Hamilton County.

Kidd, 52, a local minister and coffee shop owner, served two terms on Mason’s city council before stepping down in 2009 to lead a church in Hawaii.

For newcomer Berry Spaeth, 51, the seat presents her first chance to hold political office.  She retired in 2005 from a 20-year career as a caseworker and special needs adoption specialist with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and now works part-time in the child nutrition department for Mason Schools.

With more than 85 percent of votes, Mason voters handily passed a Charter Amendment, according to unofficial results from the Warren County Board of Elections.

The amendment would clarify that a partial term to which a Council member is appointed is not included in the calculation of consecutive years of service.

As expected, Kevin Wise and Courtney Allen, who ran unopposed for two seats on Mason Schools’ Board of Education, both won seats.  Marianne G. Culbertson, who also ran unopposed for an unexpired term on the school board, was also elected.

Voters also approved a measure that would allow Raja India restaurant to sell liquor on Sunday.

Posted in: City Council, Election, News |

Tags: Tags: barbara berry spaeth, christine shimrock, election, election 2011, government, mason, mason city council, mike gilb, newcomer, politics, tom grossmann, tony bradburn, veterans, victor l. kidd

Security National Automotive Acceptance Corporation (SNAAC) of Mason donated nearly $12,000 this week to the Thank You Foundation, an Ohio-based charity that helps veterans and active-duty military personnel and their families during times of need.

SNAAC President Brian McDonald presented foundation President Tracy Braden with the donation at a private presentation party.

The donation was the result of proceeds from a promotion SNAAC held with its dealer base to celebrate National Military Appreciation Month in May.

Posted in: Business, Community, News |

Tags: Tags: charity, mason, military, national military appreciation month, security national automotive acceptance corporation, snaac, support, thank you, the thank you foundation, veterans

Kings Island is offering free regular admission to active and retired military personnel over the July 4 weekend.

As part of the Mason theme park’s Tribute to the Armed Forces program, members of the military are also able to purchase discount admission tickets for members of their immediate family (maximum of six) at a special military discount price of $29.99.

A valid military ID must be presented at the Kings Island ticket window July 1-4 to receive this offer.

Kings Island will showcase its Fourth of July Weekend fireworks extravaganza on July 2 and 3. The park has extended it hours of operation until midnight those two nights.

For more information, call 800-288-0808 or go to www.visitkingsisland.com.

Posted in: Kings Island |

Tags: Tags: fourth of july, free admission, july 4, kings island, mason, military, veterans