Members of Ponoka Legion Branch 66 and settling nicely into their new home located on 48th Avenue.
President Earl Peavoy says the old building, located on a couple of acres on the south edge of town along Highway 2A, had become unmanageable. The Legion decided about a year ago to sell the 15,000-square-foot facility and look for a smaller location. They had been at that spot for over 30 years.
"We found what was called the old library that the town was underusing and made a deal on that and renovated that into where we're at right now," explained Peavoy. "We're down to about 5,000 square feet and set it up as a real friendly social gathering place for our community."
The Ponoka Legion has set up a committee to look at the overall operation of the organization and what the purpose of the Legion will be going forward.
"The purpose of the Legion always has been support for the veterans, their families, and the community," said Peavoy. "We can do all of that but maybe we should be looking at helping our community out a little bit more and perhaps a social gathering place would be the way to go with it. Not playing down the purpose of the Legion at all."
To reinforce the Legion's purpose, members created a mural on the outside wall to identify the people involved in WWI, WWII, and various peacekeeping missions. The Cenotaph Rock has also been relocated from the old property to the new location. The memorial recognizes the sacrifices of those who died during battle in WWI, WWII, and the Korean War.
Peavoy says the Legion took possession of the new building at the start of June 2024, with renovations completed about a month and a half ago. He notes that the cost of operating the new facility is roughly a third of what they were previously paying. One example is the cost of insurance, which is about $600 per month now compared to $2,400.
The Ponoka Legion was established 97 years ago and currently has about 220 members. Peavoy says 35 years ago, they had over 800 members, but many of those have either passed away or moved out of the region. The new building contains Scrolls of Honour, which contain the names of over 300 people from the area who served our country. Peavoy's uncle is one of the names on the Scroll. He has four uncles who served.
The new Legion building is full of amenities including a fully stocked bar, soft seating area, fireplace and a small stage. It offers all of the traditional Legion offerings including crib on Tuesday nights, poker on Wednesday, and darts on Thursday. Chase the Ace and a meat draw take place every Friday and Saturday. The Legion is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
"We would welcome a couple dozen extra people on any of those nights to join us with those things," remarked Peavoy. "We've got some inquiries about smaller community groups that need a place for a couple of hours on Monday morning. We are getting a number of people on a daily basis coming in for a coffee with their friends. It's becoming a bit of a coffee stop for a number of people."
Peavoy says the nice thing about their building is that it's a lot quieter than some other busier coffee spots.
Membership in the Legion is not required to enter the building, although it is an option for those who want to support the organization. The cost is $50 per year.
A grand opening celebration for the new Ponoka Legion building is taking place Saturday, Jan. 18 starting at 11 a.m. Many dignitaries will be in attendance including the president of the Royal Canadian Legion in Alberta.
**Photo gallery below courtesy Ponoka Legion/Earl Peavoy
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