Mathews County’s rich maritime history will be honored and remembered in a special way next weekend. The first Maritime Recognition Weekend, which will coincide with Mathews Heritage Day, will include music, entertainment, raffles and more, all remembering the contributions of the U.S. Merchant Marine.

The weekend came about following author Bill Geroux’s invitation to speak on his book, “The Mathews Men: Seven Brothers and the War against Hitler’s U-Boats.” The book, which was released last month, tells about the county’s Merchant Mariners who carried fuel, ammunition and other vital supplies and war goods during World War II to allies in Europe, and up and down the Atlantic coast, against the deadly aim of German submarine.

The Mathews Film Society will kick off the upcoming Maritime Recognition Weekend with a film screening of the 1944 Academy Award-nominated movie “Action in the North Atlantic” at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 20.

The film...