May means more in Milton.

Every May, I’ve noticed, the feeling kind of hits everybody. Kids start dreaming about the end of school. You spend more time out in the yard, or gardening, or at the park. Everything is blooming and it hasn’t gotten too hot. It’s just a great time of year. Don’t get me wrong -- spring is nice, but it really seems like things start gaining steam in May.

In Milton this is no different. This May will see our Parks and Recreation Department take some huge steps toward providing the comprehensive services we’ve all imagined. For one thing, the Parks and Recreation Master Plan comes to City Council in May, and boy does it look exciting. If the public meeting we had last month to discuss it is any indication, the plan will be received well as the city grows and utilizes what’s been created.

In the more immediate future, The Parks and Recreation Department will issue its first-ever activity guide this month. Just two years ago the city was launching its first program – fitness camps with CorePhysique. Now we’ve got so many programs and activities coming this summer we’ve got to start collecting them all in one book. That will launch May 8, so be on the lookout for it, and the new programs it will announce.

Of course, this month we’ve also got our Memorial Day ceremony, planned for Monday, May 28 at 10 a.m. I might be a bit biased, but I firmly believe it’s better than ever five years into its life.

This year’s theme is “Honoring those who will never be forgotten,” which I think is quite poetic. The ceremony features local veterans, a King's Ridge Christian School student playing the Call to Colors, performer Lewis Shaeffer, Taps as performed by Bob Wright and Don Ware of Bugles Across America, and much more.

Our featured speaker is Major Gen. Jim Butterworth, adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard. In addition to his military service, Butterworth recently completed his service as a state senator for the 50th district. And prior to his election to the state Senate, Butterworth served as chairman of the Habersham County Board of Commissioners.

As always, the ceremony will conclude with a roll call of local veterans who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Everyone is then invited to find and reflect upon the markers created to remember their legacy and placed along Deerfield Parkway by Councilman Bill Lusk.

Frankly, I can’t think of a speaker whose better suited to talking about military sacrifice and the importance of free democracy on the holiday. And I can’t thank Councilman Lusk for the time and effort he puts into the ceremony every year.

Well, that’s it for this month. As you probably know, my door is always open, and so is City Hall. We’re here to serve you, and would love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Mayor Joe Lockwood