Middlefield – Respect, honor, and support ran deep for veterans and first responders Saturday as Middlefield played host to the Second Annual Geauga Veterans and Sport Fest. The event was sponsored by Preston Super Store along with Great Lakes Outdoor Supply, Ohman Family Living and Blue Line Unlimited*. The event was to honor veterans, first responders and their families.
The parking lot of Great Lakes Outdoor Supply was the place to be Saturday. It was a full parking lot, with energy running high. One could see tricked out trucks in support of veterans and showing patriotism. There were flags everywhere and there were many blue line flags as well. People were out in full force to show their appreciation for what each entity does for the betterment of their community. It was almost as if it was the last hurrah of summer.
It was a well-organized event. There were plenty of benches set up for people to sit on. Many of the benches were set up under tents giving attendees a break from the sun. They had enough seating that social distancing was easy to maintain. Food and beer were available for purchase, along with many other types of items from various vendors.
The American Legion was well represented, with posts from Chardon, Newbury, and Middlefield, along with the Geauga VFW, (Veterans of Foreign Wars) GeaugaVets.com and Blue Line Unlimited. One could purchase raffle tickets from the various legions for the specific gun they were raffling off. They could also purchase tickets for the cash raffle and the guns Blue Line Unlimited had. Geaugavets.com also had 50 items up for raffle.
Blue Line Unlimited raffle was $30,000 in cash, in various denominations with the grand prize being $10,000. Other big cash amounts were $5000 and $1000; there were other smaller amounts as well. The total cash value of the Blueline Unlimited Raffle was $40,000. There were also many guns raffled off, a gun safe, fishing equipment, kayaks, camping equipment and more. Now, don’t get too excited over the guns that were raffled off, they couldn’t be claimed until a background check was completed and the guns registered. All proceeds from the event go to the local first responders. The Grand Finale of the day was a giant fantastic firework display at dusk.
* Blue Line Unlimited is a group that was formed in 2016. They provide assistance to families and officers in the way of benefits, training, education and equipment. They are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which has a goal to be the largest organization benefitting law enforcement.
