The Royal Canadian Legion Gibbons Branch recently celebrated its 75th anniversary.
On Saturday (Aug. 6), the Legion held a celebration in honour of the milestone. The night started with cocktails and dinner before a grand ceremony.
This was the first anniversary celebration the Legion had held for a while, according to Louise Bauder, vice president of the Legion.
"[The] official date was May 5. We haven't done a lot up to this point; today's just a celebration with a little get-together."
Gibbons was founded by William Gibbons, who serves as the town's namesake. Two years after World War II, William's son, Bill Gibbons, formed the Sturgeon County Legion Branch, but after a mix-up in the mail, the name was changed to the Gibbons Branch.
"The main thing we do is help veterans and their families," Bauder said. "But we're also busy in the community. We sponsor different groups. Brownies and Guides meet here. We sponsor scouting, ball teams, the Sturgeon Unity Singers, and seniors groups. We sponsor a lot of stuff in town."
Other things the Legion does around the community are Pioneer Days and Grad Day lunches, which usually include burgers and their famous fries.
"Everybody loves our fries because they're fresh cut." Bauder laughed.
However, Bauder said that COVID dampened many of their plans with the community.
"After COVID, we're in survival mode. We do have a dart team that plays here Thursday nights in the winter, which really helps out a lot."
Bauder started working for the Legion thirty-seven years ago, just a few years after she first moved to Gibbons.
"My family has always been involved with the legion."
Bauder is also the director behind their yearly remembrance day ceremony, which is their next big event planned for Nov. 11.