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The City of Mount Clemens has the participation of service clubs and veterans organizations in its events for local citizens.

The next one is the Halloween Spooktacular, noon-3 p.m. Oct. 22 at Macomb Place and Cherry Street.

The Mount Clemens Optimist Club and the Clinton Township Optimist Club will take part in the event, passing out candy to trick-or-treaters from four car trunks near the Nickel and Saph Inc. Insurance Agency office at 44 Macomb Place. The original plan was to have a trunk or treat activity in the county’s parking structure, but there weren’t enough participants, so Optimist activities were moved.

There are other activities for children to enjoy, like a Kid-Friendly Haunted Hallway from noon to 3 p.m. and Pop’s Sweets and Treats trunk-or-treat from 4-8 p.m.

The Mount Clemens Lions Club offers free vision screening for very young children from noon-3 p.m. at the Discovery Center, 54 Cherry St. KidSight is a program of the Lions of Michigan Foundation designed to identify treatable and preventable causes of vision loss in preschool children ages six months to five years. It uses a non-invasive, high-tech mobile vision screener that looks like a camera.

In about one second, it identifies the vision disorders of nearsightedness and farsightedness, and three other disorders. If something is detected, parents are advised to follow up with an optometrist or ophthalmologist. If diagnosed early, 95 percent of vision disorders can be corrected.

The Mount Clemens Kiwanis Club holds its annual cake walk noon-3 p.m. on Macomb Place.

“It’s similar to musical chairs,” Kiwanian Theresa Randolph said. “We have 10 numbered mats we lay out in a circle. For $1, a person can stand on a number. When we have 10 participants the music starts and everyone walks in a circle as the music plays. When the music stops, everyone is on a number, and Rosco The Clown draws a card from a jar filled with 10 cards numbered to match the mats. If your number is chosen, you have your choice of anything on the cake table.

“We will have homemade and store-bought treats like cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and boxes of Twinkies, Little Debbie snack cakes. In the past, we found that many moms prefer the snack cakes because they can put them in their child’s lunch for the week. I’ll probably make a few Boston Cream pies, a few dozen cupcakes, maybe a Red Velvet cake or two,” she said.

Ross Champion, a member of the Kiwanis club, puts on his show as Rosco The Clown at 1 p.m. at the Fountain Stage.

The Kiwanis club did not hold its annual downtown Mount Clemens bike safety clinic this year because Children’s Hospital of Michigan discontinued its program of providing helmets free of charge.

“Halloween season is upon us,” Mount Clemens Rotary Club president Scott Chabot said. “Our club has traditionally helped by donating candy to the Optimists for this great community event.”

“The service clubs have always been supportive of our downtown events through the years,” Michelle Weiss said.

She is the Downtown Development Coordinator for Mount Clemens.

“We are also working on the Mount Clemens Santa Parade on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 10 a.m. Several of the Mount Clemens service clubs sponsor the parade, march in the parade, and volunteer their time to the parade.”

“The Mount Clemens Rotary has committed to be in the parade,” Chabot said. “We are looking for our volunteers to help build a float and walk in the parade.”

The Rotary Club participated in the city’s Soap Box Derby last month.

“The Mount Clemens Rotary was represented by one of my longtime friend’s daughter, Nina,” club president Scott Chabot said. “For her first time, and being quite a bit lighter than the other 47 racers, she did very well. Her run times were 14th out of the 48 participants. Not bad for a first time. She is already excited for next year. The Mount Clemens Lions did a fabulous job putting the event on.

Chabot also said Rotarians will help The Salvation Army with its Red Kettle Campaign on Dec. 3 at a Macomb Township Kroger store. Rotary club member Major Barbara Owen, and her husband, Lt. Robert Owen, are officers and ordained pastors at The Salvation Army Mount Clemens Corps Community Center.

Theresa Randolph solicited bell-ringers from the Mount Clemens Kiwanis Club for late November or early December at a Walmart Store in Chesterfield.

“We need volunteers to ring the bell and greet the public in one- or two-hour increments,” she said.

Kiwanis members regularly serve meals to Salvation Army clients in Mount Clemens.

Besides participating in its city’s business district scarecrow contest, the Richmond Lions Club recently participated in the state’s Adopt-a-Highway program, and is planning a Goodfellows newspaper sale, and Breakfast with Santa at St. Peter Lutheran Church with a coloring contest and a food collection called Stuff the Bus.

The Knights of Columbus, Council 11658, St. Louis Roundtable in Harrison Township hosts a Super Euchre Tournament on Oct. 21. Proceeds go to Tunnels to Towers.

Since 9/11, Tunnels to Towers has provided mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children, and built custom-designed smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. It also helps veterans experiencing homelessness, and victims of major U.S. disasters.

Doors open at 6 p.m.; dinner begins at 6:15 p.m. followed by euchre at 7 p.m. The cost of $30 per player includes dinner, refreshments, prizes, raffles, and eight games of euchre.

For details, contact Jay Walsh at 586-306-3523.

The Knights of Columbus, a Catholic lay organization, has two million members. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, the community, families, and young people. In 2021, the Knights of Columbus raised and distributed $187 million to charity and rendered 77 million hours of volunteer service.

Send news of service clubs and veterans organizations to Linda May at lindamay@ameritech.net or call landline 586-791-8116.

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