Legion preparing for start-up of fall leagues and suppers

The Royal Canadian Legion is looking forward to seeing the community at their many activities coming up this fall, all of which are open to both members and non-members of the Legion.

September gets going with the annual Veterans’ Luncheon on Sept. 18, which invites all military and RCMP veterans from the area to gather for a free luncheon put on through the Poppy Fund.

Friday suppers at the Legion will also return on Sept. 6, with supper served at 5:30 p.m. each week. Tickets are $15 and each week features a different delicious supper, from roast turkey to cabbage rolls.

Also, Sept. 6 is the beginning of the drop-in shuffleboard league, which welcomes players of any experience level and runs every Friday night at 7 p.m. There’s an entrance fee of $2 each week, but the league is entirely non-committal — show up when you feel like it.

The Legion will also be hosting a Cribbage Tournament near the end of September, which will convene once a month on Sept. 25, Oct. 30, and Nov. 27 at 1:30 p.m. There’s an entry fee of $5 per person, with a chance at some cash prizes for the best cribbage player at the table. The dart league will kick off on Oct. 3, meeting each Thursday at 7 p.m., with a $25 fee for the season. Curling will also kick off the first week of October, on Oct. 6, and run every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Ford Curling Centre at Mosaic Stadium.

The fees collected at each of the leagues are not in vain — organizers use them to offer prizes to league winners and to plan a wind-up event at the end of the season. All of these events are welcome to both Legion members and non-members, although Norma Richardson, public relations for the Moose Jaw branch, encourages people to consider a Legion membership.

With four types of member categories ranging from veteran to non-affiliated, everyone is welcome to become a member of their local Legion branch. Yearly membership fees equate to $50 annually, all of which are used to support local veterans in the community. Membership has been on the decline in the past few years, and so Richardson hopes to see some new faces attending the Legion’s events.

“It’s hard to get new members in. . . We’re struggling a bit to keep the doors open,” said Richardson. “We’re trying not to cater to just the older people, we’re trying to think of activities to bring in the younger generation but we know it’s hard because people have families and they’re working.”

The Moose Jaw Legion will also be hosting the 50th Biennial Provincial Convention on Oct. 18-21, with Legion members coming from all over the province to discuss Legion business and mingle in the city. Around 200 people are expected to attend.

The last event currently scheduled on the Legion’s calendar is the Christmas Trade Fair on Nov. 30, featuring a Legion table full of baked goods and a number of other vendors.

Registration for any of the upcoming leagues and tickets for upcoming events can be done by at the Moose Jaw Legion on 268 High St. W.