InkFreeNews photo by Lasca Randels

By Lasca Randels
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Today is the start of a new month. Read on for May trivia and holidays/observances as well as events taking place in the area this month.

MAY TRIVIA:

• The May birthstone is the emerald, which symbolizes success and love.
• The May birth flower is Lily of the Valley and Hawthorn.  
• People born In May have a Zodiac sign of either Taurus or Gemini. 
• Mother’s Day is an annual holiday celebrated in the U.S. in May. Mother’s Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as their positive contributions to their families and society. It was established by Anna Jarvis, with the first Mother’s Day celebrated through a service of worship at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, W. Va., on May 10, 1908.
• Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the U.S. honoring and mourning U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May.

HOLIDAYS/OBSERVANCES:

• May Day — May 1
• Mother’s Day — May 11
• Memorial Day — May 26

MAY WORDS:

• May Day — A European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on May 1. Traditions have included giving “May baskets” which were small baskets of sweets or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbors’ doorsteps.
• Mayday — An emergency procedure word used internationally as a distress signal in voice-procedure radio communications. Convention requires the word be repeated three times in a row during the initial emergency declaration (“Mayday mayday mayday”).
• Maypole — A maypol is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.
• Mayfly — These aquatic insects are also known as fishflies in Canada and the upper Midwestern United States. They are part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also includes dragonflies and damselflies.
• Mayflower  — An English ship that transported a group of Pilgrims from England to the New World in 1620. After 10 weeks at sea, Mayflower, carrying 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, reached what is today the United States, dropping anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, Mass., in November 1620.

EVENTS: 

• May 1 — Kosciusko County National Day of Prayer Noon Service, 12 p.m., Rodeheaver Auditorium, 901 Park Ave., Winona Lake.
• May 3 — Second Annual 5K Color Fun Run, 10 a.m., Winona Lake Limitless Park, 1590 Park Ave., Winona Lake.
• May 3 — Calvary Plant, Bake, Craft Sale, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 801 S. Huntington St., Syracuse. 
• May 16 -18 — Fat & Skinny Tire Fest, Warsaw and Winona Lake.
• May 17 — Mantis Skate Park Opening Day, noon to 4 p.m., 400 Little League Drive, Warsaw.