Sponsoring a baseball team, supporting the sports programs at Middletown Area High School and providing dinner to local veterans are just some of the community service activities of American Legion Post 594 of Middletown, which is beginning the celebration of its 100th anniversary.

The post will officially turn 100 years old in April of 2022, but it will hold a 100th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Oct. 23. The event will include a dinner from 6 to 7 p.m., followed by music and dancing from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Tickets are available at the post, located at 137 E. High St., Middletown, or by contacting Linda Klutas at 717-921-8660 or lklutas@gmail.com or Carol Hoffman at 717-810-9959 or choffman43@outlook.com. Only 150 tickets will be sold, and tickets must be purchased by Sunday, Oct. 10.

Past commander Paul Carnes, finance officer, explained that Legion membership is not limited only to veterans. "We have a number of membership categories. The main membership is certainly for veterans, but the spouses of veterans can be in the auxiliary," he stated. "We also have Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders." The post also offers a social membership.

The American Legion building includes a canteen and a large social hall, where the upcoming dinner will be held. "Downstairs we have the canteen, which is the bar/restaurant section. We have some meeting rooms and offices," said Carnes. "Upstairs, we have a hall that we use for big meetings or people can rent the space for weddings and other (special events)."

The canteen is a popular social gathering place. "On Saturday night we have entertainment. It could a DJ or karaoke or a band," Carnes said. "A few times a year we will have an event upstairs where we will have a band. We stream Middletown Area High School sports, and we have five or six TVs where we (show) college and professional sports."

He noted that during the shutdown in 2020, the American Legion building was given a facelift. "We are trying to attract more younger families to come in," Carnes stated. "We went non-smoking during COVID, and we cleaned everything and repainted everything and replaced the ceiling tiles to make it a more attractive place to bring your family for a meal."

The American Legion focuses on community service as well. "We support every booster club at the high school, no matter what sport," Carnes pointed out. "We paid for the scoreboard for the new turf field at the high school that was just dedicated. We donate quite a bit of money every year to the community." He added that the auxiliary provides dinners for veterans in nursing homes and at the Lebanon VA Medical Center. "We will also bring in veterans (to enjoy) dinner," Carnes added.

Carnes, who has a special fondness for the post, hopes that more community members will consider joining the American Legion. "I have been (involved with) the building since the 1980s, when I was a member of Boy Scout Troop 594, (which is sponsored by the American Legion)," he shared.

For more information about American Legion Post 594, visit http://www.facebook.com/AmericanLegion594.