She’s a tired, old building.
She needs help. And it’s up to us to help her. The VFW Hall has been a center of activity for Leelanau County since the early 1950s when GIs who returned home from World War II volunteered their time and scrapped together enough raw materials to finish and cover a full basement with kitchen and bathrooms. When funds caught up to the project, the main floor, walls and roof were built to create a lodge-like setting with exposed beams, wood-paneling in the bar area and maple flooring throughout.
“When my dad had a free moment, he went down and helped,” recalled Mike Zeits, a VFW member who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. “I went with him. My dad did not get called to the service (during World War II) because he was a farmer. They needed farmers to stay on their farms at that time.”
The VFW Hall is a place of memories. Lifelong residents are bound to have toasted newlyweds at wedding receptions or drizzled syrup on pancakes flipped by volunteers raising money for organizations like the Lake Leelanau Community Association. Couples have two-stepped and walzed their nights away.
VFW members, caretakers of this community gem built by their fathers, have done a fine job with maintenance. It’s clean and neat and turn-key ready to host the next big event — whether a polka dance or Toys for Tots distribution.
But for such a sturdy structure, the VFW Hall is vastly underutilized. There’s a reason. She hasn’t kept up with the times.
That was never more obvious than at the Memorial Day service hosted by Little Finger Post No. 7731 of the VFW. Rain forced the service inside, which didn’t deter a crowd of about 350 people from attending. Soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for America were looking down with smiles.
But they probably weren’t smiling when Leelanau’s oldest soldier, a D-Day veteran, had to be carried up the steps. Dick Grout, remarkably, gets around pretty good with the aid of a walker. But a walker is no tool for stairs.
As veterans age along with all county residents, the entranceway to the hall has grown problematic. Front doors were built at ground level. You have to descend stairs to get down to a kitchen and dining area, or climb a set to reach the main floor and bar.
There are other drawbacks to use of the hall. Bathroom doors are too skinny for wheelchairs.
Lacking air conditioning, wedding couples gamble that a heat wave won’t force their guests into the parking lot. The 60 amp electrical service won’t power new heating or cooling systems. Windows are original and single pane, adding to weather inefficiency. Plumbing needs replacing.
These aren’t weekend hammer projects. They require licensed contractors. They’ll be costly.
Add it all up and the VFW Hall is in need of up to $730,000 in improvements. Our veterans, an independent and resourceful lot, aren’t much for going around with their hands out. They’ll need members of the Leelanau community to do the heavy lifting.
That’s why I’m writing. Elizabeth Sweeney, a VFW member, and I are assembling a committee to research funding opportunities and to reach out for donations. She can be phoned at 845-551-6178; my number is 231-492-4972. I did not serve in the military.
Neither of us are pretending to be experts in fundraising, which in a county blessed with so many nonprofits has become a pursuit onto itself.
We don’t want to detract from the good work of our nonprofits.
But it does seem that out of all the causes in Leelanau, finding ways to pay for long-overdue work on the VFW Hall should be near the top.
At least that’s my view. Your help is needed. We’ll keep you informed on our progress.
