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 Commander
Message
Keith Kerbaugh
There are two words that speak to the
life of the Legion, membership and participation.
Membership is our life’s blood and it fuels the Post’s ability to serve
veterans. There is strength in numbers and it is important that everyone
renew their memberships before January 1st. At that time the membership
rate increases by $4.50.
All members this year are being
contacted and asked to fill out an updated information sheet. It is
important that all our members take the time to complete this
questionnaire. Go Getters will not receive Go Getter points without a
completed questionnaire.
Participation in activities at the
Club is critical to our financial health. Every month we have activities
like bingo and spaghetti and many special events. Take the time to come
down and join your fellow vets and their families.
The Executive Committee continues to
work hard and address the many issues before our Post. One item of note
is we are now taking steps to eliminate the smoke and smoke odors in the
Club area. It is important that the Club is a pleasant place for non
smokers.
Join us on Veterans Day, November
11th for the parade at 10:30 and the 11:00 ceremonies at the Veterans
Memorial Arena (Civic Center). I have been asked to bring the message
and I look forward to speaking to you. The Legion will be serving stew
immediately following the ceremony.
Keith Kerbaugh,
Commander, Fargo American Legion
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 Auxiliary President's Message
Barb Nash
Greetings –
In my last newsletter I talked about all the good work
we do. This month I am going to talk about some of the fundraisers that
allow us to do this good work. Mavis very recently sent the Bakeless
Bake Sale letters. Since this is an election month, I am going to revise
a quote often heard: “Give Early and Give Often.” This is a big
fundraiser for us and allows us to get our programs off to a good start.
November 11th is Herberger’s Community Days. Because of the conflict
with Veteran’s Day, we are not selling in the store
that day; however, we will presell coupons up until the
11th. We get to keep all of this money, so the more we sell, the better
off we are. Please call Mavis at 277-4263 if you would like some of
these coupons to sell to your friends and family. $5 gets you $10 on a
purchase of $10 or more and 8 20% off coupons.
Remember our veterans on November 11th (and every day).
Come on into the Legion for the scheduled events.
On November 14th we will be initiating our new members.
Please join us in welcoming these new members. New members equals new
ideas and new ideas are always a good thing. Our Christmas party will be
held on December 11th. Mavis is in the process of checking into meal
options and will be reporting back at the November meeting. Come to the
meeting if you have an opinion about what you would like to see done. I
can tell you meals for events like this are always more expensive than
we would like them to be, but still not a bad deal for what we get
compared to going out to a restaurant for dinner. Mavis has our best
interests and pocketbooks at heart when planning this. We will also do
our silent auction. You can bring donations for the auction that
evening.
Finally, some words to live by: “Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Barb Nash,
Auxiliary President, Unit #2
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 Chef de Gare Notes
On October 14th the 40/8 and Fargo ALA held their
annual rummage sale. We thank all who brought things to be sold and a
BIG thank you to the ones who helped.
November 11th is the day we honor the Veterans for their service to
our great country. A way we can all show our appreciation is by
attending the program at the Memorial Auditorium at 11:00am. After the
program come down to the Post home for further activities and a great
meal prepared and served by volunteers of the Legion Family.November 7th
is Election Day. In this great country of ours we have the chance to
elect the people who we think are the best to watch over the laws and
rights of our country. If you don’t vote don’t complain if your choice
does not win. In December the bicycle
shop under the leadership of Will Hebert will be giving the Refurbished
bikes they have been working on year long we owe a BIG thank you to him
and his crew. May your Thanksgiving
holiday be happy as you gather with family and friends to give thanks
for all the good things have happened in your lives and as we roll into
December let us remember to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas ans
all celebrations of all Faiths. May God Bless You and Our Country!
Chef de Gare Bob Lechner
40 et 8 Voiture 240 Fargo |
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 Adjutants
Additions
Bob Jacobson
This calendar year coming to a close, but that
means we are in the middle of our year, and an active one it is. We are
always accepting volunteers to help conduct our activities. We added
enough people to run the paddlewheel on beer bust nights that we can
actually do a rotation of teams. That is probably our most problematic
night with the lounge full of college age people. We could use a few
volunteers to collect at the door and some more to sell paddlewheel
tickets. We had a ball at the
Military Appreciation Ball. If you were not there, you missed a lot more
than seeing me in a tuxedo- champagne fountain, piano bar, fantastic
food and a great band, not to mention a very impressive opening by
Fargo’s Junior ROTC unit with flag presentation and MIA ceremony. It was
a chance to dress up and associate with our currently active military
neighbors. Plan to attend next year.
We have also had Oktoberfest, the Auxiliary Rummage Sale and the Navy
Ball was held upstairs this year. You may have been to the American
Legion Baseball Spaghetti Fund Raiser. The Halloween Party may be past
when you get this, but it is scheduled for October 28.
In the upcoming events, we have a priority with
membership drives and member renewals. This 2006-2007 membership year
started in July. Waiting until the year is half over and paying in
January will cost you more money-the dreaded, but expected dues increase
from national was passed. The
Veterans Day stew event needs volunteers, call the office (293-3930) and
put your name on the list to volunteer for preparation or serving.
Veterans recognize November 11 as Veterans Day.
Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year, so Tom and
Jerry’s happens on Saturday, December 23 from 1-3. The office will
not be open normal hours on November 23 or 24.
Robert (Bob) Jacobson,
Adjutant
Gilbert C. Grafton Post 2
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First Vice’s Membership Notes
As of this printing I am working on membership Packets to send out to
all of the teams and leaders.
I want to inform all teams and members, we are going to have a
membership drive the third weekend in November, November 18, 2006.
Everyone will meet in the upstairs conference room at 9:30 AM. The hours
of operation will be from 10 AM until 4 PM. The shifts will run
from!0:00 to 12:00; 12:00 to 2:00; and 2:00 until 4:00. If you have a
cell phone please bring it with you, you will need it. We need everyone
involvement in the drive to make it a success. The Commander and I want
to meet and excel the projected goal for this Year.
I would like anyone that has ideas on how to further recruit new members
to bring your ideas along to the drives and meetings. If you would like
to be placed on a membership team Please let me or some one in the
office know. If you no longer feel like being a recruiter please let us
know that also.
For the recruiters that have members renewing, please remember to fill
out the certification letter for the people you are sponsoring, we need
this letter on file in order for you to get credit for the renewal.
Russel W. Stabler
1st Vice Commander
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Sons of the American Legion
There will be a Son’s of the American Legion meeting at 2:00pm on
Saturday, November 11th. Attend the Veteran’s Day Parade downtown at
10:30am, the Veteran’s Day Program at the Civic Center at 11:00am and
then stop by the Fargo American Legion at noon for some mulligan stew.
We will have an organizational meeting at 2:00pm. All members and
non-members are welcome. I would also like to invite Legion members who
would like to participate in the planning process. The purpose of this
meeting is to: A. discuss ways to activate the squadron; B. set goals of
what we want to do as an active squadron; and C. establish a slate
of squadron officers (commander, vice commander, adjutant, etc.). This
year is the 75th year of our great SAL organization so let’s make this
year and many years to come good ones.
Chad Rice, Department SAL Sergeant at Arms
and Post #2 SAL Squadron Member |
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District Oratorical Contest
If you have ever attended a Department Winter Convention you will no
doubt remember the oratorical contest. We have a few thousand very
talented young men and women (high school students) in our district that
are eligible for the contest. The 1st District Oratorical contest will
be at our Post #2 in Fargo at 10:00am on Saturday, December 2nd.
Everyone is welcome to attend, let me know if you would like to help run
the contest.
Department Commander Homecoming
The Homecoming for our Department Commander Orville Simundson will be
6:00pm Saturday evening, November 4th at the Park River American Legion
Club. Everyone is welcome but you need to call Marlene at 701-549-3493
ASAP to make a reservation.
Dave Rice, 1st District Commander |
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Tom and Jerry's
Tom and Jerry’s will be served from 1
pm to 3 pm on Saturday December 23 by the Executive Committee since
Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday this year. |
Legion Institute
The Legion Institute is a
correspondence course available from the Department office. Anyone
interested in learning more about the history and programs of the
Legion are encouraged to contact the Department office and sign up.
The course is presented in four small very easy to read books. |
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Veterans Day
One of the highlights this fall is the Veterans Day
ceremonies sponsored by the United Patriotic Bodies. After the
ceremony stew will be served to the community.
10:30 parade starts
11:00 raising of the Colors at the flag pole outside the Veterans
Memorial Auditorium
11:05 ceremony begins inside the Auditorium |
8th of November
The free tickets for the 5:00 show at
the Fargo Theatre are available in the office. The Legion has a
limited number of tickets. The movie is about the 173rd Airborne’s
assault in Vietnam on November 8th, 1965. This is a must see movie!
The group Big and Rich have a current hit song about this battle. |
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Legion College
Three Post #2 members are on their way
to Indianapolis the last week of October for the American Legion
College. Attending are Russ Stabler, Dave Rice and Commander Keith
Kerbaugh. The College is a one week training session teaching all
phases of the American Legion and its programs. It is designed to
prepare new leaders for service. |
Highlight On Legion Activities
Bingo and spaghetti are popular
Club activities. Bingo is played Monday evenings at 7:00 and
Saturday afternoons at 3:00. Blackout games pay out $300 to the
winner. Spaghetti is served Monday evenings just before Bingo at the
popular price of $3. |
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Legion Dues to Increase
Last summer at the American Legion
National Convention the membership voted to increase the dues to
$4.50. The last chance to pay the current rate of $34 per year is
January 5th. The dues must be in the Post # 2 office by 5:00. After
that the annual dues will be $38.50. If you are thinking of becoming
a lifetime member and want to pay the current rate that must be paid
by that time also. |
Exec Committee
The Exec Committee is busy about the affairs of the
Legion. They have been working on capital campaign, reorganizing and
understanding the finances, and working on employee benefits and
policies. The board has also been more active in the post, club and
gaming daily operations along with assisting the club in special
events, increase membership and staff job descriptions. The building
inventory, restructuring of insurances, reorganize office and
business affairs, and eliminating the smoke in the building have
also been a few of the items the exec has been working on lately. |
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New Year’s Day
The Legion will be serving their annual New Year’s
Day Oyster Stew from noon until gone. The bar will open at 11 am and
entertainment will be provided. We hope to see you there. |
Meeting/Banquet Space for Rent
If you have any upcoming events and
need space to rent the Legion has banquet, dance hall and meeting
room space available. |
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Display Cabinet
Will Hebert, the Post Historian and long time
manager of the Bike Shop is building the new display cabinet for the
Post #2 history books. This will give the membership access to our
history and accomplishments. |
Heroes to Hometowns
Heroes to Hometowns is designed to welcome home Service Members who,
because of injuries sustained, can no longer serve in the military.
In creating a positive transition home, Heroes to Hometowns inspires
com
munity growth and establishes a support network for Service Members
and their families that allows them to ease into their hometown or
new surroundings. Contact Scott Sunsvold at the National Office at
703-692-2054 |
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Gaming Report
The post 2 gaming activities under the leadership of
Hank Deyle have been experiencing tremendous growth. Under his
leadership, has increased Black Jack to 25 dollar limit, added an
additional pull tab jar and has offered a paddle wheel game at
Friday night beer busts. Hank has been aided by our long time gaming
secretary Doris Johnson. Doris has worked for the legion for 27
years and works hard to keep our records straight and make sure we
stay in compliance with all ND laws. |
Patriotic E Cards
If you know a serviceman or woman and want to
honor their service send an E Card. Go to the National American
Legion website at http://www.legion.org for a quick and easy
program. The cards are free and feature music and service themed
graphics. Cards are available until November 12th. |
 United Patriotic Bodies
The United Patriotic Bodies continue to
actively fund raise for the sign on the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
The next fundraiser will be $5 raffle tickets for an $800 guitar
signed by Big and Rich. Second place receives $100 and third prize
is $75. Tickets will soon be available at the Legion, VFW or AMVET
clubs. |
 Legion Veterans Service Officer
Jim Deremo is the American Legion
veterans service officer. Jim has been our service officer since
2000 after serving for 20 years in that position in South Dakota.
Jim is married and has three daughters, two are veterans and one is
currently in Iraq. Any veteran needing assistance with their
benefits should contact Jim at 451-4646 or email
serviceofficer@ndlegion.org. |
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Membership and Go Getters
Membership recruiting is in full swing
with more than 900 sign ups. It is important to renew by January 1st
before the annual dues are increased by $4.50. Go Getter
requirements are the same as in the past except each member has to
have an updated information sheet on their recruits in order to earn
Go Getter points. 30 points are required to earn Go Getter status. A
new member earns 5 points and a renewal is 1 point. There are no
points for signing up an Auxiliary or Sons mem
ber. Any members not signed up by Veterans Day are available to any
member who wants to sign them up and they will receive credit for
them. |
American Legion Golf Tournement
The golf tournament was held on 9/11 at Edgewood Golf Course and 36
people attended. A GOOD time was had by all! We then went to the
Legion for steak dinner and prizes were awarded. The team that had
the MOST fun and the WORST score consisted of Larry Lein, Mike
Borgen, Don Schwinden and Bob Lechner. We also watched the Vikings
on Monday Night Football (on a beautiful big screen) courtesy of
Bruce Holtan (Radio TV Equip.)
Mona Arnold, Club Manager |
Mona Arnold (Club Manager), Dave Rice (Past Commander), Don Woodbury
(Legionnaire), Chad Rice (Dept. SAL Sergeant at Arms), and Keith
Kerbaugh (Commander) were a few of the many people who attended the
Military Appreciation Ball.
See
http://www.tristateveterans.com/fargolegion/2006ball
for Pictures of the Military Appreciation Ball. |
Military Appreciation Ball
The committee for the Military Appreciation Ball worked a lot of
hours to make this event a success, and we consider it a success.
However, we would like to have more volunteer help next year to make
this more enjoyable for the few that did the majority of the work.
The ballroom was beautiful, the food exceptional, the band kept the
dance floor full all night and the silent auction was profitable and
fun.
The Military presence was phenomenal. Many of the guests were in
uniform and were very appreciative to us for having this event. The
Jr. ROTC did a wonderful job; many were impressed with the
professionalism they displayed and the program they did for us.
I heard many good comments from those attending this event.
I estimate the number attending to be about 150, of which 50 were
paid tickets. The rest were either sponsor tickets or complimentary
tickets. A certain number of tickets were included with the
sponsorship packets. Many of those cash sponsors attended the ball.
We look forward to next year and hope to increase attendance
significantly.
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Veteran Comic Books
American Legion Emblem Sales has a new
educationsl comic book available for purchase caller Our Country’s
Veterans. If you are interested in purchasing this comic book or any
of the other comic books available please call 1-888-453-4466 Monday
through Friday 7am to 6 pm or order online at
http://emblem.legion.org. |
November
and December 2006
Legion Schedule of Events
$25 Blackjack every Friday, Saturday, and Monday
night.
Bingo every Saturday at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm
every Monday.
Spaghetti 6:00pm every Monday for only
$3.00 per person.
Karaoke 8 pm. every Friday night. (or a live band)
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November
7th, 2006,
Post Meeting Program (7:30 pm)
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker |
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December
5th, 2006,
Post Meeting Program (7:30 pm)
Roger Gress of the Park District |
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Snacks
and Happy Hour following meeting in Lounge. |
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Charity
Donations
September/October 2006
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Funerals $444.70
VAVS $1,340.00
Bike Shop $434.16
Elevator $137.44
Baseball $4,000.00
RRVVCB $1,000.00
Troop Greetings $105.00
Nurses Training $1,000.00
Boy Scouts $1,500.00
Picnic $75.67
ND AL Vet Service Fund $500.00
Shriners $200.00
State Band $1,000.00
Cass County Historical Society $1,000.00
Disabled American Veterans $300.00 |
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Band Schedule
11/2—Concert sponsored by West Funeral Home—Location
TBD
11/7—Meeting Night Concert
11/9—Rehearsal
11/11—Vet’s Day Concerts—11am Veterans Memorial Auditorium, 12:30
Fargo Legion, 3pm Moorhead Legion, 6:30 West Fargo VFW
11/16—Elim Care Center 6:30
11/30—Rehearsal
12/5—Meeting Night Concert
12/7— Bethany Homes 6:30
12/12—Auxiliary Christmas Party
12/14—Rehearsal and Christmas party |
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Have Your Wedding, Anniversary,
Christmas or Any Party Here
The American Legion has rental space available for a wide variety of events at a very reasonable price.
To Schedule an Event please Contact our Office at 701-293-3930. Click
here for additional information.
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The Fargo Legionnaire
Official bi-monthly publication of the Gilbert C. Grafton Post No. 2 The American Legion, 505 3rd Ave N., Fargo, ND 58102.
Commander: Keith Kerbaugh
Editor: Bob Jacobson
Club Manager: Mona Arnold
Legionnaire Staff: Boots Anderson, Sarah Kim, Vetta Loveland, Barbara Useldinger
Attention: In accordance with North Dakota Charitable Gaming Regulations, American Legion Club notifies its membership that the organization's cash profit; cash long or short; net proceeds expenses, if any; reimbursement of excess expenses, if applicable; and a list of eligible use contributions is available for review. The information is available at the American Legion Club, 505 3rd Ave N,. Fargo, 8am - 4:30pm, Mon.-Fri. (701)237-4013
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Fargo American Legion Home Page
E-mail:
legionoffice@ideaone.net
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Go to www.tristateveterans.com Home Page |
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