American Legion Post 58 holds open house at new Dublin post home
American Legion Post 58 celebrated the grand opening of their new post home last week in Dublin.
After about four months of work, the Legion post welcomed members and visitors to their new quarters in the lower level of the Henry Clay Lodge #280 on East Main Street – between Dublin United Methodist Church and Bower Funeral Home’s Dublin Chapel.
The shiny new post home has been a long time in coming.
“We used to be in the little church in Newbern – the Church of Jesus – near the dairy,” said Post member and former commander, Emil Moldovan.
After the church property changed ownership, Post 58 eventually began a search for a new home in Dublin.
“I belong to the Masons upstairs and asked them about the Legion using the space in the basement for a new post home,” Moldovan recalled. “We’d clean it up and do all the work, and they said we could.”
Moldovan said he and Post Commander Dan Gordon went down to take a look at the space.
“It’ll never work,” Gordon told Moldovan, who agreed.
“We thought we could never get it cleaned up to use as a post,” Moldovan said. “So, I kind of forgot about it.”
Moldovan said his wife, however, kept telling him it would work and to look at it again.
“So, I came back to the building with Barry Cox and a couple others and they agreed, that we could use it,” said Moldovan. “But it was a mess.”
Work began in October, Moldovan said, noting some members worked every day – eight to 10 hours a day – chipping, painting and building.
“We have some very talented, dedicated people in this lodge,” Moldovan said. “They’re just fantastic.”
Moldovan added that the post had received a lot of community support during the project through a variety of donations for their new home.
The post held its Christmas celebration in their new home in December and held its first monthly meeting in February prior to last week’s open house event.
Dublin’s American Legion Post 58 started out ten years ago, Moldovan said, with 15 members – the minimum number a post can have. Today, they’re up to 54.
“And we have an active group,” Moldovan said.
American Legion Post #58 meets the first Thursday of every month and Moldovan said about 35 to 45 members attend on average.
Each monthly meeting begins at 6 p.m. with dinner followed by a business meeting that ends around 7:30 p.m.
Prospective new members, guests and visitors are always welcome at the meetings.
By MIKE WILLIAMS, The Patriot
