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| Changing
your address ? Please leave new address at the club or mail to:
American
Legion Post 56
P.O.
Box 1056
142
N. Broadway
Albert
Lea, MN 67007 |
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American
Legion Post 56 Monthly Bulletin
April
2008
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Commander's
Message
April
will be anther busy month for the American Legion. Start off with Our
Legionnaire of the Year. We also recognize 50 & 60 years of continued
membership. This will be done at the April Post Meeting. Dinner will
be served prior to the meeting.
Past Commanders Dinner is scheduled for April 3. We will attempt to gather
names for a slate of new Officers for next year.
Honor Flight is a national organization that will fly WWII Veterans to
Washington, D.C. to visit the new WWII Memorial, at no cost to you. This
is a one day trip. Stop at the Legion and pick up a form if you are
interested.
My Commanders Project is about $1,500 short at this time. If you can spare
a few bucks we can get this project completed.
We are still looking for a few volunteer’s to help on Wed. evening Bar Bingo.
Mega Bingo is going over very well. They have started a new game,
Blackout. You have to cover the card. Week of March 13 it happened,
prize money awarded was $18,000 dollars. If there is no blackout a
consolation prize of a certain % of total prize is awarded. It could be
$1,000 - $1,500 or more. Stop at the Club and check it out.
If you have not stopped by the Club, it is a must! Our New Club Manager
Todd Utpadel is bringing a lot of changes to the Legion. The Executive
Committee is very excited. Check his new menu out.
On April 26 we are having a Welcome Todd and Staff Party. I don’t know
what they plan for dinner, but it will be good and we will have fun.
Keep our Troops in your Prayers.
For God
and Country
Commander
Post 56
Gary
Anderson
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Club
Update
What A Great First Month!!!!
First, let me say a huge THANK YOU to everyone for their support. We have made a
few changes, and I would like to mention a few.
First, we are now serving food 5 nights a week. We, are creating a new
menu, with a many new items, including Walleye, and Prime Rib on Saturday
nights, along with a children’s menu, and a heart friendly menu. So,
please come in and try out the new menu. We will also have the banquet
room available for dinning when available.
Second; we have some great additions to our Staff, including 2 great additions
to the Kitchen in Florence Olson from Glenville and John Williams from Sheridan,
WY, they have over 50 years of experience between them.
This is your club and it is our goal to give you a club to be proud of. Many of
our changes, our ideas that were shared with me, from our members.
A Thought For The Month;
A Wealthy man is defined by his family and friends and not by his bank account
Have A great day!!!!
Todd Utpadel
Club Manager
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F.Y.I.
On Dec. 28, 1939, the Tribune’s newsroom cat, Albert Lea Tommy (alias Editor
Burt May), had the following commentary which explained how the local veterans
tried to create a state park. Here’s what Burt (alias Tommy) wrote:
“...the members of the American Legion and the V. of F. W. are always standing
back of the things that promote the general welfare of this community and the
country in general.”
Please note the way the VFW was listed in the Tribune 69 years ago. Now
let’s continue:
“I want to congratulate them for stepping forward to sponsor the new roadside
project at Pickerel Lake. I sincerely hope that the State Highway
Department will accept their sponsorship, for I’m sure that no group will do
more to maintain the improvements that are to be made at this point along the
new route of Highway No. 69, the shortest road from the Twin Cities to Des
Moines and all points east and west.”
Tommy implied in his column that a short section of U.S. Highway 69 in Freeborn
County was unpaved at this time. As soon as this paving was done during
the following year, then the entire highway would be completely paved from the
Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico.
The intention for this roadside place with its small hill was to have it become
a state park. It was one of three places considered for a new state park
in the Albert Lea area during that era. The second place was on the south
shore of Albert Lea Lake. And the third place which actually became a
state park a few years later was originally given the name of Helmer Myre, and
now officially designated as Myre-Big Island State Park.
Thus, credit for creating what’s now Pickerel Lake County Park rightly belongs
to those earlier veterans of the Albert Lea area.
Ed Shannon
Editor
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Auxiliary
News
No fooling........April is here and we hope Mother Nature doesn’t play any
nasty jokes on us. We’ve celebrated Easter and should enjoy spring now!
We have lots going on this month. Our spring luncheon, with hot sandwiches
and salads will be served Wednesday April 2, 11 am to 1 pm so come and enjoy
it........bring a friend! Bonnie Schneider and Pat Johannsen are chairing
the event and count on generous donations and help from our faithful members.
As I write this, on March 17 (yeah, I hope you enjoyed some green beer and
corn beef and cabbage!) we plan to pack boxes on March 27 and/or 28 for troops
overseas. We appreciate your bringing in the names and addresses of your
loved ones in service as we can only send directly to a given name and address.
On Monday April 7 at 1 pm we will gather to complete all our annual reports.
We hope all committee chairs can join us then, or bring in their reports.
Call me if you want the form ahead of time.
During April you should be able to spot on Main Street the billboard that says
“It shouldn’t hurt to be a child”. The Crime Victims Crisis Center
has it put up and we helped sponsor it, to fight violence against children.
Thanks to all the generous ladies who donated food for the last blood drive at
Crossroads Church. We received a very nice thank you from the Red Cross.
Membership Chair Bonnie Schneider is sending reminders to those members who may
have forgotten to renew their membership. You can still send it to her or
drop it off at the Legion Club.
Have you met our new club manager, Todd? We are looking forward to all the
innovative ideas he has for our club.
On Monday March 10 our Legion hosted the annual memorial, Post Everlasting, with
a beautiful service and music after a fine dinner.
Because of an event being held in the Legion Hall that Wednesday night, we will
hold our April 2 meeting in the Century 21 meeting room next door to the Legion.
The board will meet the previous Monday, which is March 31, in the Legion
at 5 pm.
For
God and Country
Joyce
Rhody, Auxiliary President
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MEMBERSHIP
We are doing really well at the membership renewal but we still have a little
ways to go! We did not get a very good response from the post card mailing
that Bernie sent out to those who haven’t renewed their 2008 Membership.
We are now at 1010 which is 95% of our total paid up membership renewal
goal. We just have 5% renewals left to meet our 100% goal so please help
us out and get your renewal in or you will be receiving a call from the
membership committee. SAL is at 123 paid up members and Auxiliary is at
522 paid up memberships. We are also trying to increase our club
membership. Please continue to ask your friends, neighbors, relatives or
anyone else to join. Explain to them that anyone can be a member and that
there are four different ways to be a member at the American Legion Post #56
Albert Lea, Minnesota: a veteran, a son-of-a-veteran, a social member and
the Auxiliary.
See you at the Club!
Dave Mullenbach, 1st Vice - Membership Chairman
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Taps
PHILIP K. BENBOW
Born April 9, 1928. Died Feb. 27, 2008. He served in the U.S. Army
during the late 1950s and was a member of the American Legion.
DONALD E. DILLEMUTH
Born Nov. 9, 1926. Died Feb. 26, 2008. He served in the U.S.
Army during World War II and the Korean War and was a member of the
American Legion and the VFW.
DARRYL R. (NIG) LEE
Born Sep. 24, 1934. Died March 16, 2008. He served in the U.S.
Marine Corps during the early 1950s and was a member of the American Legion.
ROBERT D. SKOPHAMMER
Born Nov. 3, 1928. Died Feb. 16, 2008. He served in the U.S. Army
during the Korean War and was a member of the American Legion and the
D.A.V.
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Dollar-A-Month
(D.A.M.)
Donation In Memory of Roger Paczkowski
Donation In Memory of Cleon Westrum
Duane and Carmen Skophammer In Memory of Robert Skophammer
Ethmer and Marlene Wright In Memory of Susan Borland
Duane and LeAnn Juveland In Memory of Lois Steele
Allan and Deb Brown In Memory of Lois Steele
Robert and Pat Forman Gift to Honor Guard
Family of Clifford Anderson Gift to Honor Guard
Debt Reduction Donations in Memory of Cleon Westrum
Allan and Deb Brown
Ray and Marion Ball
Kenneth and Fran Westrum
Charlotte Sevaldson
Avis Ordalen
Duane and Mary Bartness
Leslie and Joy Behr
Harriet Voschell
Roger and Arla Dahl
Bob, Sherri and Eddie Nyman
Jeannine Dahl
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Thank
you for your contributions to the Dollar-A-Month fund. All
contributions support the Post 56 club facilities, maintenance &
continued growth of our organization.
Judi
Olson,
D.A.M.
Account Manager
To make a donation, click on the link to our D.A.M.
Fund Account Page.
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The
deadline for the May issue will be the Wednesday following the
post meeting. This will
be the deadline policy in the future!
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Veterans
Memorial Update
As of Feb. 20 a total of 2,436 of the paver bricks and 46 sponsorships have been
sold to honor those who served in the nation's armed forces. There's still
room for more paver bricks and more sponsorships!
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Post
447 VFW and Auxiliary meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every
month at the American Legion Post 56 Clubrooms @ 7:00pm. Come and
join VFW Post 447.
Veterans
helping Veterans.
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| Note: Content from
this page is edited from American Legion Post 56 monthly newsletter
bulletin. |
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Book
Your Upcoming Special Event
with
Todd 373-7993 |
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| Social
Hall & Kitchen available at no charge to non-profit organizations
for fundraisers or meetings. |
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