September 3, 2020 Vol. 20, No. 35
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Legions in Frontenac County are hanging in financially
by Jeff Green egions in Frontenac County are hanging on financially, starting to reopen Ten days ago, the bar and meeting room (bottom floor) of the Sydenham Legion, opened up for members only, after being closed since mid-March. Rentals in the hall upstairs are set to restart soon (see page 7). Up in Sharbot Lake, the Legion also delayed its reopening plans when the local region went into Stage 3 of economic recovery, in late July, and it is planning to reopen on September 18. Like many local Legions across the country, both Sydenham (branch 486) and Sharbot Lake (branch 425) are fac-
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ing financial stress due to the closures. “Some have been very fortunate, Sydenham happens to be one of them,” said Dan Eustache of Sydenham branch. “We had a good cash reserve to help us out. We had to lay our staff off while we were closed. Now they are back, but we had to cover our heat and hydro costs while we were closed.” Eustache explained that the Legion usually operates on a break-even basis, and money raised through pull tickets at the bar is used to fund community programs while money raised through the annual poppy campaign all goes to the health needs of veterans. “The poppy money can’t be used for
anything but its stated purpose, but we did get permission to use some of the pull tickets to help out with operating costs, and that has helped,” he said. It appeared that Legions would be able to access some of the funds the Province of Ontario has set aside for organisations that serve seniors, would be available to Legions, but that has not been the case. “A lot of Legions are suffering right now, and will be needing help just to survive, so provincial money would have been helpful to them.” Starting this month, the upper level of the Legion, the Legion Hall, will be available to rent for community events, including weddings and memorial services, under COVID-19 restrictions, including an upper limit of 50 people (not including Legion staff), social distancing at all times and mandatory masks. “We have been hearing from people who are hoping to hold some events in September and October, and we have had ongoing conversations with KFL&A Public Health about what we can and cannot offer and how to operate. We are now ready to start booking the hall again,” he said. Food will be able to be served in the hall, but it will need to be plated and served as in a restaurant or prepared in take-out or grab and go fashion. Buffet style service is out. “We are excited to be able to bring back the public space that the Legion offers in Sydenham, and to be welcoming back our members,” said Eustache. The restriction of the lower area to
Legion members is staying in place for the time being, and people can join the Legion in person or online at any time. Eustache said that it will be at least late October before any change to that restriction is lifted, once the impact of school reopenings on COVID-19 infection rates is known. In the meantime, darts, pool and other recreational activities have been approved by Public Health. Patrons need to be masked when walking around the Legion or going for drinks at the bar, those playing darts or pool will need to wear a mask while playing. In Sharbot Lake, the Legion Hall is reopening to the public on September 18, an event that will be marked by the return of Friday dinners to the Legion Hall, one of the most popular and enduring of the weekly traditions for the Sharbot Lake Legion throughout the fall, winter and spring months. “We are ok,” said branch President June Crawford of the finances of the branch, “it will be great to be open again and to be able to get some revenue flowing back in, and provide a meeting place for our members and the public.” The protocols surrounding the Friday dinners will be much the same as in restaurants. The capacity of the hall will be limited in order to accommodate distancing but Crawford said that they will be accepting walk-in traffic at the first dinner on September 18, which is a Roast Beef Dinner. “We are also considering offering takeout, if the demand is there,” she said.
Patience will be rewarded at Verona Lions Garlic Farmers Market on Saturday by Jeff Green
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atience has been the key word for the Verona Lions Club this year. First, the Lions Hall had to close, then event after event had to be cancelled. Some of them, such as the annual ATV run and the annual car show, are key fundraisers that allow the local club to keep their hall and park in good shape for their own and community use, and to donate money to community causes as well. “We are not in financial trouble at this time, but we don’t have the amount of money we usually have in hand at the end of the summer to keep us afloat in the winter, so we may run into some difficulty later on,” said Doreen Morey, club treasurer and organiser of two events that are a go this month. The first is the Garlic Festival, which has been rebranded as the Verona Lions Garlic Farmers Market to reflect the variety of produce that is normally available at the market, which is held annually on the Saturday of Labour Day Weekend. This year, the garlic farmer’s market, with COVID19 protocols in place, will run from 9am-3pm on Saturday, September 5.
“We will be asking people to be patient as we keep track of how many people are on the site at all times, and we will be asking people to move in one direction and keep a proper distance as they walk through the displays,” said Morey. The limit is 100 people at a time, excluding organisers and vendors, and visitors will enter through one gate and leave through another. They will also be asked their phone number as they arrive, in order for contact tracing by Public Health, if necessary. The festival will not be the usual free flowing community event that it normally is, but with so many other events this summer having been cancelled entirely, the Lions are hoping for a good turnout. “Admission is by donation,” said Morey, “and we are hoping that people will take the opportunity to be generous as we need extra support this year.” Lions Clubs are not eligible for some of the government support that other organisations can access, because of their unique corporate structure. This year’s festival features over 20 vendors, less than a normal year but with good variety nonethe-
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less. Later this month, on September 19th, the second take out only, fish fry of the season will take place at the Lions Hall. More details will be available next week, but early birds can phone 613-372-5431 for information.
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