Veteran's Day in Jonesville

Munro House was the only Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast participating in the international B&Bs for Vets program. This event gave free rooms to veterans and current active duty military personnel on the night before Veterans Day so they could participate in local morning programs.

Seven couples from three service branches and four conflicts were honored with a veterans reception at the Munro House that also included members of the local American Legion. After breakfast, a rededication of the G.A.R. Memorial in downtown Jonesville was this year's program. The Grand Army of the Republic Statue was constructed in Carl Fast Park in 1912. The local American Legion funded the project that repositioned the statue on a new stone foundation. A new flagpole with a lighted base now flanks the lone soldier. 

A photo slideshow of the local attendants, participants, and band is online at Mr. Mike's Blog.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Free Rooms for Vets Article

November 15, 2011 Section: News Page: 1 Memo:Munro House The Munro House was the American Legion Post in Jonesville in the 1940s and '50s. Venturini said he is very interested in local history and is looking for photos of the Munro House from that era. Munro House offers free lodging Holly Roney holly.roney@hillsdale.net JONESVILLE - The Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville opened its doors to veterans for the second year as part of "B & Bs for Vets," a program that provides veterans and their spouses free lodging the night before Veterans Day so that they can attend local events the next day.

Munro House filled their seven rooms with veterans, providing them with a free dinner on Thursday night at Olivia's or Saucy Dog's and a breakfast on Veterans Day. They have guests representing Vietnam, the Gulf War and current active-duty. One guest, Misty Wolthuis, is an active-duty Sergeant First Class (SFC) who will be leaving for Liberia to teach the Liberian army armory operations on Saturday. "I just think it's the right thing to do," said Mike Venturini, who owns the Munro House with his wife. "I think more people should do things for the veterans." The Venturinis released their rooms by encouraging potential guests to friend them on Facebook. Then they released rooms individually, letting their Facebook friends be the first to know. They said that way they were creating some anticipation about the event. Guests came from Grand Rapids, Ida, Lambertville and more. There were also guests at the reception before dinner Thursday that were local veterans and their families. "Everybody's welcome at my house," Venturini said. The reception offered appetizers such as cheese and crackers, and apples with caramel. Guests ate, told stories and relaxed before heading off to dinner. On Friday, they were encouraged to attend the memorial rededication at Carl Fast Park in Jonesville. "This place is phenomenal," said guest Larry Fry, who came from Grand Rapids with his wife. "There's a lot of history here." Jeff Venneman and fiancee Misty Wolthuis, both active-duty Sergeants First Class, enjoy the snacks offered. DAILY NEWS/HOLLY RONEY

Copyright, 2011, The Hillsdale Daily News, All Rights Reserved.  Mike Venturini

Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Memorial Day Parade and Program in Jonesville

The traditional Memorial Day Parade in Jonesville is an assortment of veterans, public services, farmers, and patriots who march about a mile down US-12. The Jonesville High School Marching Band plays patriotic songs while police cars and fire trucks blare their sirens and vintage automobiles toot their horns.

The morning parade ends at the Freedom Memorial on the East end of Jonesville with a fine program put on by the local American Legion Post. This year's guest speaker is current active duty Air Force with several years of experience from Kosovo to the Middle East.

A large gathering of Jonesville residents along with veterans from several eras and the Jonesville High School Band take part in the program. Hundreds of local residents take the mile walk to the Freedom Memorial to pay tribute to anyone who has ever served in the armed forces.

Military veterans took advantage of Munro House Special Pricing over the Memorial Day Holiday. Veterans from any era along with current active duty and reserves are honored over all military holidays with special rates at the Munro House B&B.  Discounts for vets are also available for Flag Day, Independence Day, Patriot Day, and Veterans Day. A photo of the vet on duty is required.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Military Discounts

The Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville Michigan has special Military Discounts honoring veterans of any branch of the service from any era along with current active duty and reserve personnel for the upcoming military holidays of Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Independence Day. Vets can get any available room for just $99 per night when they stay any 2 nights between May 27-30 (Memorial Day), June 13-15 (Flag Day), or July 1-4 (Independence Day).

Parades and/or services are held locally on each of these holidays.

We request a photograph of the vet in uniform via email to validate this special military discount promotion.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Memorial Day Military Discount

Military veterans, active duty, and reserve troops of any era are honored over Memorial Day Weekend at the Munro House in Jonesville. Check in for 2 nights from May 27-30 and vets can get any room for just $99 per night. A short, but well-attended, parade through downtown Jonesville and a service at the Freedom Shrine are the highlights of the weekend.

You must identify yourself as current or former military when making your reservation and email us a picture of the vet in uniform to take advantage of this offer. 72 hours notice required.

This is traditionally a pretty quiet weekend in Jonesville, so if you want to relax and getaway for some private time, this is the place to be. Massage is available all weekend by appointment only.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"

Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Military Discount for Armed Forces Day

Military veterans along with active duty and reserve troops of any age or era are honored during the Armed Forces Day Holiday. Check in for 2 nights that includes Saturday May 21 (Armed Forces Day) at the Munro House n Jonesville, and vets get any room for just $99 per night.

Just identify yourself as a vet when making the reservation and email us a picture of the vet in uniform to take advantage of this offer. 72 hours notice required.

This also happens to be Riverfest weekend in Jonesvlle with lots of fun things to do in downtown Jonesville.

Mike Venturini

Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper

"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

How to Sing Our National Anthem

Jim Cornelison sings our national anthem before Chicago Blackhawks hockey games. He was invited to perform the song before the Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears NFL playoff game. An epic performance sung with pride and vigor not seen since Whitney Houston sang it at the Super Bowl after 9/11.



Makes me proud to be an American, and makes me want to go to see the Blackhawks play.


Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

B&Bs for Vets Free Bed and Breakfast Program

The Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, MI, participated in a national bed and breakfast program honoring veterans and active duty military personnel called B&Bs for Vets. The idea was to offer a free night bed and breakfast on the day before Veterans Day to allow vets to be in town for morning programs at local memorial services. About 1,000 B&Bs across American gave 1 or more of their rooms to veterans at no charge on this day.  We have accommodations for 14, but can only seat 12 at the big table, so we gave 6 of our 7 rooms to vets (and blocked the remaining room off for a regular businessman) so all of our vets could sit together at one table during breakfast.

Our first guests arrived at 3:00 check in time and my last guest arrived at midnight--she kept me informed of their progress in the fog--and I greeted them with a smiling face. The majority of our vets found out about this event through a military website, military.com. One found out through a state newspaper article and another through USA Today. Two of our guests were active duty, two were retired military, and two served their required term and moved to the private sector. Only one couple had previously emjoyed a B&B experience.


Weekday breakfast time is negotiable and they individually told me they wanted breakfast at 9:00--Woo-hooo! I had 6 guests down at 8:00 and 10 by 8:30--SURPRISE!!! Good thing I had coffee going, so they all mingled while I finished my prep work. When it comes to making breakfast, I am "the man". We offered our signature item--Lori's Secret Recipe Belgian Waffles" plus any kind of eggs along with fruit, juice, toast, and bacon. Those vets can eat! I plated 20 entrees to 12 people in about 30 minutes. We had lively conversation over breakfast and made sure everyone could attend the veterans day program that was taking place just a mile away.

Veterans from the Cold War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm representing the Army, Navy, and Air Force spent the a day with us in our great old house. All were very appreciative at the generosity of this program. One guest remarked that he did the math on the lost revenue incurred when giving free bed and breakfast to 6 couples this morning. He said that as a small business, the Munro House "went beyond the call of duty" and honored the innkeepers, Mike & Lori Venturini, for what they had done. A Vietnam vet was in tears saying "no one has ever been this good to me on Veterans Day". The wife of a current serviceman, heading for the Middle East on Tuesday, said "we really needed this".

Jonesville has a great Freedom Memorial. The local American Legion Post has organized programs for all military holidays. My town of 2,400 had over 300 people show up for the morning service. I was proud, and my guests were moved when all vets were asked to step forward and join the color guard. The program lasted under a half hour and everyone went their separate ways after "taps" was played. Veterans were honored, support was shown, and new friendships were made. Everyone had a great time at no cost and all felt honored on their day in this small town in Michigan.


We will probably participate in this program honoring vets again next year. We will begin to release free rooms sometime in August. We will not take a waiting list, but will announce our participation on a random date through our facebook fan page and give away rooms on a first come-first served basis. Anyone interested in coming to Jonesville and staying with us free and attend the 11/11/11 service will need to become a fan of the Munro House by clicking the "like" button on our facebook fan page. You will get regular postings of events and things of interest in Jonesville including additional military discounts for Flag Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. Our fans will be the first alerted to the availability of a free room for Vetereans Day.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Free Rooms for Vets for Veterans Day

Bed and Breakfasts across North America are participating in a program that offers a free bed and breakfast for veterans on the night before Veterans Day. The night before Veterans Day was chosen to allow vets to be in town in time to attend morning services. Veterans Day memorial services are traditionally held at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  The local American Legion hosts a well-attended service at the Jonesville Freedom Memorial for all military holidays. 

Here at the Munro House in Jonesville, we have offered 6 of our 7 rooms to vets and are now SOLD OUT on November 10.  Our scheduled guests are from several branches of the military who have served in Vietnam, the Cold War, Desert Freedom, and current active duty.  It is our way of thanking veterans and current active duty military personnel for their service to our freedom.  It will be my pleasure to serve those who have served our country. 

The program was started by a West Virginia innkeeper in 2008, expanded to several of her state inns in 2009, and is fast approaching 1,000 inns in 2010. Participating B&Bs that may have availability can be found online at the B&Bs for Vets website. The list is growing every day, so check back often. There are over 40 Bed and Breakfasts in Michigan participating in this program.



Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Veteran's Day Free Bed and Breakfast Offer

To honor veterans from any era and current active duty military personnel, Bed and Breakfasts across America are giving free rooms for vets on the day preceeding Veteran's Day. This is being done to allow veterans to go back to their hometown or to be a guest at a local Veteran's Day gathering.

Veteran's Day is traditionally celebrated at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year it is on Thursday, November 11, 2010.  With morning memorial gatherings across America, it is important that veterans are in town on time for the salute. That is why participating B&Bs are offering free rooms to veterans on the preceeding day--Wednesday, November 10, 2010.

With 3 months to go, there are already over 200 B&Bs onboard in 35 states.  These participating inns are allowing some, or all of their rooms to vets on a first come first served basis for Wednesday, November 10. Veterans are asked to contact the inns directly to reserve a room and to present military ID upon arrival.  Mike Venturini, innkeeper at Munro House Bed and Breakfast in Jonesville, Michigan, currently has 4 rooms available to vets.  He says that he "will be thrilled to have a breakfast table filled with vets on Veteran's Day morning and will enjoy hearing the stories about their experiences in the military."

Kathleen Panek, owner of the Gillum House in Shinnston, WV, came up with this idea and began recruiting innkeepers on a B&B forum and directed them to her B&Bs For Vets website.  She says "We just wanted to say 'thank you' to the courageous men and women from our armed forces. These are some trying times for anyone serving or who has served, and a good night's rest is our way to say, thank you."

Additional inns are expected to participate as the word spreads. These bed and breakfast innkeepers can sign up online.

Mike Venturini
Jonesville Michigan Bed and Breakfast Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"
Munro House Bed and Breakfast

Michigan Bed and Breakfasts Honor Military Veterans with Free Rooms for Veterans Day

As a national promotion, bed and breakfasts around the United States are offering free rooms to veterans on November 10 so they can get to their hometown or other location to participate in Veterans Day gatherings on November 11 at no cost to them.  The Munro House in Jonesville, Michigan, has committed to offer 4 of their 7 rooms at no charge to vets so they can join us for a gathering at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month at the Jonesville Michigan Veteran's Memorial.

Local American Legion Posts and VFWs are invited to contact the Munro House at 1-800-320-3792 to provide lodging for their special guests who have been invited to appear at the morning gathering. Families of local military personnel are also welcome to reserve a room for their out-of-town veteran for November 10.

As an industry, B&Bs are providing this military discount as a "Thank You for Your Service to Our Country”. As of May 5, over 200 B&B's in 20 states have committed to participate in this event. The goal is to have 1,000 bed and breakfasts in all 50 states taking part in honoring past, present, and future soldiers in the U.S military.

A full list of participating inns can be found at http://www.bnbsforvets.org/ when it goes live.


Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"

Military Discount at Michigan Bed and Breakfast

My brother "Geno" was in the Army National Guard back in the 60's. Luckily, he stayed stateside during the end of the Vietnam era. My son "Dup" entered the Air Force National Guard at the new millennium and was just minutes from going to Iraq when he was sent home due to a medical concern that made him undeployable.

I recall the anxiety that goes along with having a loved one being put in harm's way. Soldiers have dangerous jobs to do and their compensation is below what I think they are worth. When I am out and about, I do what I can to thank people in uniform for their sacrifice of time away from home and the constant danger they experience while being on duty in a foreign land. Sometimes it's just a handshake and a sincere thank you, sometimes it's a meal paid for by me, anonymously, and during military holidays, it's a substantial discount to stay at my bed and breakfast--the Munro House in Jonesville, Michigan.

The Munro House Bed and Breakfast offers a military discount for Armed Forces Day (third Saturday in May), Memorial Day (last Monday in May), Flag Day (June 14), Independence Day (July 4), Patriot Day (September 11), and Veteran's Day (November 11). We decided to offer the discount for the days around the holiday also. Currently, veterans can get a room for $99 per night at the Munro House that is regularly $149, or more, when they stay 2 nights.

We decided to offer the special lodging price for veterans and active duty military as well. We just ask our guests to bring proof of military service when they check in to get the reduced price. Some retired folks from the WWII era brought a picture of themselves in uniform as proof, some current active duty soldiers checked in wearing their uniforms. Both were proof enough for me.

We have had foot soldiers, pilots, special forces personnel, MPs, and flight instructors as guests. Many were visiting family in the Jonesville-Hillsdale area. Some were just taking time off in our great small town in south central Michigan.

A special site to see is the Jonesville Veterans Memorial on Highway 12 on the east edge of town. It honors the branches of the military including Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines.



Mike Venturini - Innkeeper
"Life is good in Jonesville"