Cruise honors veterans

By Alli Weaver

Veterans served our country, and the Lady of the Lake sought to serve them in return.

Wednesday, June 14 was the seventh annual Lady of the Lake Veterans’ Cruise. In honor of Flag Day, all area veterans were invited to enjoy the complimentary cruise.

[caption id="attachment_26306" align="alignleft" width="270"] Scott Monson (left), owner of the Lady of the Lake, was presented with a plaque by Mike Nelson, VFW commander, for all the work he did to offer veterans a free cruise. Also pictured is Monson’s son, Cole. -Reporter photos by Chris Barragy[/caption]

  In fact, due to popular demand, two cruises were scheduled for the day, for an estimated total of about 200 attendees.

  In the past, there has been a charge for the cruise, however, thanks to Scott Monson, the event is now sponsored by Pritchard Family Auto Stores, Brakke Implement and the Lady of the Lake.

  Scott and his wife, Niki Monson, are the co-owners of the Lady of the Lake. Scott Monson is credited to have recruited the sponsors, making it possible to offer veterans a free cruise, as well as free refreshments, for the past three years.

  In appreciation of Monson’s efforts put forth to make this possible, Mike Nelson, VFW commander, presented him with a plaque to commemorate his contribution.

  “I was certainly surprised and honored to get the plaque,” Monson said. “It means a lot to me.”

  The ability to offer a free cruise for the veterans is something that is very important to Nelson.

  “It’s just a way of saying thank you to the veterans. Plus, a lot of them have never been on the Lady of the Lake,” Nelson said.

  In addition to the plaque, Nelson also presented a flag to the oldest veteran on each cruise, in commemoration of Flag Day, and as a token of appreciation. The camaraderie that veterans and their families enjoy is one of Nelson’s favorite parts of the veterans cruise. According to Nelson, the free cruise helps with that.

  “Everything came together this year,” Monson said.

  CL Tel employees prepared over 200 goodie bags for veterans to take home and enjoy as they disembarked the Lady of the Lake.

  “We are happy to express our gratitude in some small way for the huge sacrifices that our veterans made to protect our country and our freedoms,” Jan Lovell, owner of CL Tel said.

  Lovell’s father and grandfather, both veterans, set examples of showing respect and gratitude to other veterans, and she took this opportunity to do the same.

  The Monson’s and the event sponsors hope to continue this tradition in future years.