Arden Legion Needs Help

Jeff Green | Feb 15, 2023

The Arden Legion is certainly the longest continuously running service organisation in the former Kennebec Township.

It was founded in 1945 by returning veterans from WWII, and between 1945 and 1983 meetings were held in local homes and at the Kennebec Community Centre.

The first president of the Legion in Arden was Harry Alexander, followed by Claude Parks, Charlie Parker and Bert Brown. Fred Hugh was president from 1948 to 1955, and Howard Jackson served as treasurer for numerous years. Another active participant back then was Edward Wilkes.

It was known at the time as the North Frontenac Legion. In the early 1980s, members decided to build their own hall, which opened in 1983, just across from the Kennebec Community Centre on the Arden Road.

In 1985, the name was changed to Branch #334, and named after Gordon Gaylord, who was a WWII veteran living in Arden.

Since then the branch has played an integral role as a meeting place in Arden. Open seven days a week for many years, it has hosted a side range of different events over the last 40 years, including: New Year’s levies, fishing contests, fish frys, ATV rallies, chili cookoffs, pig roasts, corn roasts, car rallies, deer contests and hunter's balls, Christmas and New Year's Eve parties, and more. Throughout the year, there were also various dart tournaments, breakfasts, bake sales, cake auctions, raffles, meat draws and steak suppers.

The Arden Legion has traditionally conducted Remembrance Day Services in Mountain Grove and Arden, and when the Northbrook Legion folded 5 years ago, they added ceremonies in Flinton and Denbigh on the weekend before Remembrance Day in order to provide continuity to the veterans and families of veterans in those communities.

The Legion membership peaked at almost 500, and remained steady in the 150 range right to the 2010s.

But the pandemic has hit the Arden Legion hard.

“We were shut down for almost 3 years,” said Dave Moore, who has been the president for over a decade.

Not only were the financial reserves depleted, keeping payments up on the upkeep of the hall, the pandemic hit a lot of the volunteers hard as well.

“Some people moved away, some have health issues, and some have just been reluctant to come back since we re-opened,” said Moore.

All of this has led the Legion to an impasse, as the Legion is now only a few months from having to shut down.

“The problem is financial, but it all comes down to a lack of volunteers to keep the hall open more and to run events that bring in the community, and some of the money that we need,” said Moore.

Currently, the Legion is open on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, and they try to open on Thursday afternoons as well.

“We used to be open 7 days a week,” said Moore, “but we don't have the volunteers that we need. Since COVID, people seem to stay home.”

In order to try and turn things around, a public meeting has been called for Sunday, February 26 at 2pm at the Legion (see ad on page 7). The entire extended community is invited, and any and all ideas about what direction the Legion needs to go in, will be more than welcome.

“The first thing is to see how many people come to the meeting,” said Dave Moore, “as long as people show up and are willing to volunteer to make things happen, we will be in business again.”

In 2009, the last remaining convenience store closed in Arden, and the Legion stepped in and started carrying a small line of groceries; milk, eggs, bread, etc so local residents did not have to travel to Sharbot Lake, Tamworth, or Northbrook just for a basic need. It was a case where, if the Legion didn't do it, who would.

That service turned out to be an important bridge for the community, until C4 Convenience opened at the end of 2020.

Now the Legion is looking to the community for that kind of support.

“If we do end up losing the hall, there is no way another one will be built,” said Moore, “this is really our last chance to turn things around.” “If we do end up losing the hall, there is no way another one will be built,” said Moore, “this is really our last chance to turn things around.”