The Legion recently opened back up after nearly three months of being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and things are gradually picking up as more and more of their members return for the camaraderie and friendship.
“We have a little bit of construction going on right now and that limits our space, and then with the COVID social distancing, we’re down to seven tables of six,” said the Legion's public relations officer Norma Richardson. “There have been a few regulars coming down. We have our veteran’s coffee at 10 in the morning and they’ve been coming out for that, so it’s nice to see some familiar faces.”
The construction work is being conducted by the building’s new owners in order to deal with a handful of structural issues, further limiting the seating, but that hasn’t been much of a problem, especially if folks can gather after so much time cooped up at home.
“They enjoy it and they’re quite happy to be back and visit with each other, even if you’re hollering across the room,” Richardson said with a laugh. “But it’s not a problem, it’s just nice to be back.”
The good news goes even further, as the Legion will be restarting their wildly popular meat draws on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 3 p.m.. The event features patrons buying tickets for a handful of draws for steaks, roasts and everything in between. As one of the Legion’s top fundraisers, it’s an event that’s near and dear to the organization’s heart.
“We’ll get anywhere from 50 to 75 people usually, but it’ll be a little bit less now, probably,” Richardson said. “It’s always a little less in the summer time, but with people not travelling, you never know. We’re hoping people will say ‘hey there’s a meat draw, we’re not doing anything, let’s head down to the Legion.’”
Of course, with COVID-19, there are a few extra restrictions in place: in addition to the strict seating, no darts, pool or shuffleboard can be played, and a strict cleaning regimen will be followed.
But for now? Just live and let live and enjoy the chance to hang out.
“I think now that everyone can get out and about it’s a lot better,” Richardson said. “And once they loosen more restrictions and everyone is comfortable with it, that kind of thing, it’ll be better still. You have to be comfortable being around people with this going on, so we’ll see how it goes.”
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch #59 lounge is open from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sundays. Veterans’ coffee takes place Monday through Saturday at 10 a.m.
For the latest information on happenings at the Legion, be sure to check out their Facebook page.
