Currently viewing the tag: "Sons of the American Legion"

Wreaths Across America is an annual collaborative that honors our nation’s veterans around the holidays by placing wreaths on their graves.

Several organizations went to work to transport, deliver, unload, and distribute wreaths in the Thurmont area on Wednesday, December 13, 2023. A Sheetz truck delivered 72 boxes containing 12 wreaths per box for a total of 864 wreaths to volunteers representing the Thurmont Lions Club, the Sons of the American Legion, the American Legion Auxiliary, the American Legion Post 168, the Town of Thurmont, Cub Scout Troop 279, and Pack 270. The wreaths were unloaded, prepared for distribution, and delivered to local cemeteries.

Pictured left to right are: April Fordham, Alex Dankanich (American Legion), Mark Resch (Pack 270), Jimmy Best with Parker Best (Troop 270) and Aubrey Best (Pack 270), Allen Middendorff (Thurmont Lions Club), Jim Robbin’s, Brian Glass, Buz Mackley, and John Byrne (American Legion).

Photo by Deb Abraham Spalding

Sons of the American Legion is holding a Ham, Turkey & 5# Box of Shrimp Give-A-Way on Friday, November 4, 2016, at Post 121. 1st Drawing: 6:00 p.m.–9th Drawing: 10:00 p.m. As you enter the lounge, everyone will be handed a ticket with a number, and a ticket with a duplicate number will be placed in a vessel; every half hour, a ticket will be drawn from the vessel with the duplicate numbers in it. Whoever has the matching number drawn wins either a ham, turkey, or 5# box of shrimp—absolutely free, just for attending. There will be hot dogs and snacks provided free. Jar tickets will be sold and meat tray raffles will be sold in between drawings. There will be a grand final drawing at 10:15 p.m. for a ham, turkey, and 5# box of shrimp for one lucky person. You must be present for the drawing in order to qualify, and all previous winners will be eligible for the drawing. The Sons are looking forward to seeing you there, and good luck to all! Event is open to the public.

Ed Gravatt, Past Commander

Well, it’s here…spring! That Easter Bunny has gone and laid his eggs and left those jelly beans all over the place; now it is time to start mowing the grass. Will the work never end? Here at the American Legion, we are getting ready for some fun and exciting events.

For all you sports nuts out there, we will be having a Cornhole Tournament on April 16, 2016.  The Sons of the American Legion is hosting the tournament, with the proceeds to benefit the Special Olympics. The tournament is limited to fifty teams, and cash prizes will be proportionate to the number of teams entered. For more information, email locoputter@msn.com. There will be food and drinks available.

Now, for those of you who prefer a quieter form of entertainment, there will be a Paint Night with Laura Day. You can learn to turn your artistic talents into a work of art. Laura will be teaching and providing the materials needed on Sunday, April 24, 2016. For more information, call Cindy at 301-676-7016 or email cindy.collis@fcps.org.  The kitchen at the Legion will be open.

Our weekly entertainment starts with Karaoke with Jimmy James on April Fools Day, April 1, at 8:00 p.m.; followed by Big Al on Saturday, April 9, at 8:00 p.m.; then on April 15 at 8:30 p.m., the Fire House DJ’s; Ralph Gann will entertain with his karaoke and singing on April 22 at 8:00 p.m.; DJ Jake will be playing your favorites, along with karaoke, on April 29 at 8:00 p.m. If that isn’t enough, on April 30, 5 1/2 Men will be here from 7:00-11:00 p.m.

Our kitchen is open on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and on Sunday afternoon. Our Ace of Hearts is going strong on Wednesdays; the last winner, Steve Lawrence, walked off with over $5K.  On Thursdays, we are still having bingo.

Some of our meeting times and days have changed. SAL now meets on the second Saturday at noon; the Auxiliary has moved their meeting to the third Monday at 7:00 p.m. The regular membership still meets on the third Tuesday, no change.

Holiday Craft Bazaar at Fort Ritchie Community Center

By Chris O’Connor

Nothing says, “Let’s go Christmas shopping,” like balmy, seventy-degree weather on a Saturday in mid-December.

Beverly Coyle, Fort Ritchie Community Center’s event organizer, stated that the turnout for the annual Holiday Craft Bazaar was impressive, though it generally is the best-attended of the three arts and crafts shows held at the Community Center throughout the year.

Since the bazaar’s inception in 2008, Beverly has noticed the show’s growing popularity, including the variety of arts and crafts, the number of vendors, and the public interest in the event.

The Holiday Bazaar was a convenient venue to do some shopping on the Mountain, with ample free parking and good food. There were a variety of handmade items and crafts, local distributors for Mary Kay cosmetics, palm oil scented candles and soaps by Mia Bella, and others too numerous to mention.

This year, there were seventy vendors, with ten on a waiting list for a space. If Beverly had known the weather was going to be so mild, she said she could have easily accommodated additional artists and vendors on the patio outdoors.

Instead, the exterior patio held tables and chairs, overlooking a wide field’s park-like atmosphere with folks walking their dogs or playing fetch; just beyond, the backdrop of Lake Royer was a picturesque and convenient place for buyers and sellers alike to enjoy fare served by the Sons of the American Legion, Cascade, Post 239.

Their menu included eggs and breakfast meats and lunch items, such as hot dogs, steamers, chili, chicken salad, and nachos, as well as an assortment of snacks and beverages. I wanted to order a quart of their chili after enjoying a chili dog on the aforementioned Fort Ritchie Community Center patio, while watching folks toss a ball back and forth.

The beauty of the Sons of the American Legion’s participation in the Fort Ritchie Community Center Holiday Bazaar is their magnanimous financial contribution to helping folks in need on the mountain.

Mtn Talk 2There were many vendors with treats available, including Pamela Wars of Sweet Blessings Cookies, a former elementary school teacher from Frederick, Maryland. Among her confections were peanut brittle, cake pops, and individually wrapped, exquisite Christmas cookies that might be edible works of art or double as Christmas tree ornaments.

Sometimes a craft show can be ho-hum for children, but all that changed when Santa visited to delight kids from 10:00 a.m.-noon.

Another attraction for kids was face-painting by artist Carolyn (Smith) Fogelsonger of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Carolyn, a member of Waynesboro (PA) Studio Art Club, works primarily in oils and acrylics and is known for her fine art paintings, which include an array of subjects from old buildings and other architecture to landscapes and nature.

She lived much of her life in Smithsburg, Maryland, finding ample inspiration for her works there. A print of a painting of the town of Smithsburg could be found at the presidential retreat at Camp David during the Bush administration.

Her works are available at Lotus Moon Gallery and on display at the Copper Kettle Restaurant, both located in Chambersburg. She has donated prints of her interpretation of the Civil War Battle of Monterey Pass, Blue Ridge Summit.

Some vendors carried handmade products, especially suited for children.

Mary Beth Chang of Sunberry Boutique in Hagerstown had an eye-catching array of handmade kids’ items that included a rainbow of tutus, hair bows, head bands, small purses, and pouches. Before we chatted about her products, she proffered an unsolicited shout-out to the Fort Ritchie Community Center staff, whom she described as ever helpful and the reason why she’s returned with her wares year after year.

She describes her products as an eclectic array, with varying fibers, which she enjoys changing up from time to time. There seems to be few limits to her knack with a sewing machine, let alone her imagination, recently introducing a line of children’s sun hats.

On the face of it, Mary Beth’s products seemed attuned to little boys and girls, but at some juncture during our conversation, I wondered aloud if I could get my dogs to wear tutus and hair bows—without diminishing their dignity, of course.

She said she occasionally dresses up her toy breed doggies and has designed, sewn, and dressed dogs included in their human’s weddings.

Craft shows are a dime a dozen. They pop up everywhere, but aren’t always worth attending, whether it’s because it’s a mob-scene, parking is a challenge, or the show doesn’t have anything one seeks.

Sometimes, though, one might take some time to attend a craft show and end up being pleasantly surprised by what is found there.

For myself? This show was close to home and convenient beyond compare.

But my heart was won by the delicious chili from the Sons of the American Legion Post 239, and the knowledge that they donate so much to our neighbors in need throughout the year.

They embody the meaning of “Christmas spirit.”

For further information regarding contact information for the vendors, call Fort Ritchie Community Center at 301-241-5085 or visit their website at www.thefrcc.org.

Photos by Chris O’Connor

by Jim Houck, Jr.

Emmitsburg Heritage Committee Holding Wing Feed to Benefit Community Heritage Day Festival

Now is the time to plan for celebrating your Valentine’s Day with the ones you love. What better way to express your love to your significant other, and give back to the community at the same time, than attending a charity wing feed?

The Emmitsburg Heritage Committee is holding a wing feed on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at the Emmitsburg Ambulance Building, located on Creamery Road, from 3:00-11:00 p.m. Proceeds will go to benefit our Community Heritage Day Festival, being held on June 25, 2016 (rain date will be Sunday, June 26, 2016).

Emmitsburg Heritage Day is our community’s annual Independence Day celebration, and is sponsored by many of our civic organizations. The event has been held for the past thirty-four years, and includes foods like barbecue chicken, prepared and served by our Lions Club, along with other foods like Italian sausages (prepared and served by our Sons of the American Legion), as well as games for children and adults, music, and a parade, followed by a grand fireworks display. Local charities, and our community as a whole, benefit from this great fun-filled day. Emmitsburg has a rich Civil War history, and there are many amazing sites to see and tour in the area.

The Valentine’s Day Wing Feed will be one of the fundraisers that will help to keep this great event alive, because Heritage Day is operated solely on donations and proceeds from fundraisers. There will be a variety of wings, with side dishes and dessert, along with a variety of liquid refreshments. The food will be served from 4:00-7:00 p.m., and music and dancing will be from 7:30-11:00 p.m. The doors will open at 3:00 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., liquid refreshments will be served until 11:00 p.m. for a donation of $1.00 each. We will also have games for adult entertainment, so please come out and have a great time and support the cause.

Tickets are $20.00 each. Contacts to purchase tickets are: Zurgable Bros. Hardware (Mark at 301-447-2020); Mountain Liquors (Gary at 301-447-2342); Cliff Sweeney at 301-447-1712; Jennifer Joy at 301-447-6467; and Jim Houck Jr. at 717-451-1741 or 72andready@gmail.com. For more information, visit www.EmmitsburgEvents.com.

Happy New Year! God Bless the United States of America, God Bless the American Veteran, and God Bless You.

k, Jr.