Take a look at the Legion

BY SARA KEDDY

editor@berwickregister.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Your local Legion isn’t the “drinking hole” of community legend and branch members up and down the Valley are set to prove it.

Zone 8 deputy commander Chick Martin of Windsor is heading up the committee behind a Sept. 13 rally, hosted by seven Legion branches, from his own 009 West Hants branch in Windsor west to Kingston.

“We never, ever did it, but they do it in Cape Breton and Truro and have good luck,” Martin says. “It’s a fun day: there are games and food and music, lots of barbecue and refreshments.”

The Zone 8 rally will be hosted at Berwick’s Ortona 69 branch on Main Street, and kicks off at 10 a.m. with a washer toss tournament, beer tent, crib tournament, BBQ, games of chance and more lasting throughout the day. There will be a dance beginning at 9 p.m. for those 19 and older with music by Stable Country.

As the fun day could go “until the wee hours,” there is limited space behind the Legion for unserviced overnight RV parking. There is a continued live music show Sept. 14.

“You don’t have to be a Legion member to come; it’s open to the public,” Martin says, adding the invitation has been sent to branches along the South Shore, in the city and throughout the province through the Legion’s own newsletter.

“We’ll have membership applications, sure, but it’s more important for us to let people know what the Legion is today. It’s community service - a social agency.”

Martin points out large commitments by individual and partnering branches throughout the zone to support local hospitals, senior transportation, the VON and education with all kinds of school and youth athletics support.

“We probably have over 4,000 members in our seven branches and every branch is represented planning for this rally. We want to change the attitude of people who don’t know the Legion.”

For information, contact event chairman Chick Martin at 757-2466.