American Legion Auxiliary builds community

The Groton American Legion Post 800 has been a home for current and former members of the United States military and an asset to our community for the past 100 years.

In addition to the members of the post, who have selflessly given of themselves to help meet the needs of its veterans and the Groton community through the years, the members of the Groton American Legion Auxiliary have made their own mark.

Spouses, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and direct and adopted female descendants of members of The American Legion all qualify to become members of the Auxiliary, and here in Groton, it plays an integral part in all that the Legion does and contributes significantly to its success.

One of the Auxiliary’s most popular endeavors is Thursday Grill Night, where I was able to connect with some of the members July 29.

Sandy Ferris has been a member for five years and enjoys her time spent at the Legion. Her son, the late James A. Cencewizki, was a Navy veteran.

“It’s a great place for friends to meet and it’s very patriotic and safe here,” Ferris said.

Lucy Dates said the Legion has always been a part of her life by way of her father, Ernest Dawson, a WWII veteran, and her husband, John Dates, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War.

“I like how we reach out to the community in so many ways, like the bands here on Friday nights and these grill nights on Thursday,” Lucy said.

Both Lucy and Ferris spoke of how fulfilling their time picking up trash from along a portion of Route 34B recently was because they all did it together.

Teri Evener, first vice president of the Auxiliary, has been a member for 44 years via her father, Barney Marlette, United States Army, who was a POW during WWII.

Marlette was shot down over France and taken to a German POW camp, where his body weight went from 150 pounds to 98 by the time the war ended, and he was released to return home.

“I never knew where he was shot down when I was growing up because he would never talk about it,” Evener said. “All I knew was that he refused to eat fish or rice, and I never knew why. He was interviewed for a newspaper article for the 50th anniversary of VE-Day, and that’s how I finally learned about his experience.”

Evener is proud of her legacy in the Auxiliary, as her daughter, Katie LaFrance, is also a member, and her granddaughter, Carson LaFrance, is in the Junior Auxiliary.

Evener also said she “loves helping our servicemen and vets, and service to the community,” which is very important to her.

Sue O’Connor is the second vice president and has been a member for 30 years, attributed to her husband, Gary, who is an Army Vietnam veteran, but she also claims ties from her father, Roger Varga, Navy Seabees, and other relatives.

O’Connor’s daughter, Kristen Casterline, is a member, and her granddaughter, Kadyn Casterline, is a member of the Junior Auxiliary.

Kadyn, along with other junior members Alexis, Bailey and Riley Vliet, recently received the Mary Lou Platt award for creating posters and for their service meeting and greeting Vietnam veterans at a special “welcome home” event at the Marathon post.

The Auxiliary’s president, Connie Wilcox, said that her involvement over the past eight years is “very rewarding and a way to help the community, veterans and just people in general.”

Wilcox’s brother qualified her for membership as a veteran from the Vietnam War.

According to her fellow members, Wilcox is the “heart and soul” of Thursday Grill Nights and works hard to make them special and successful for the Post.

“It is a lot of work,” Wilcox said. “But it’s worth it. I meet a lot of people, and I love organizing it and love to plan other events to help subsidize the Post.”

Wilcox also expressed how gratifying it is that everyone works together, including the young ladies in the Junior Auxiliary, whose help has been invaluable, especially during the stresses of the pandemic.

“The girls would take the meals out to people’s cars outside, which was so helpful to keep the dinners going,” Wilcox said. “We still do that now because people liked it so much. I hope they will be our future when they get older.”

Thursday Grill Nights are from 5 to 7 p.m. and are open to everyone. It’s a nice way to get out and enjoy a reasonably priced meal, prepared and served by volunteers, with all the profits going to the Post.

Regular menu items include Hoffman’s hot dogs, hot or sweet Italian sausage with pepper and onions, and Angus sirloin hamburgers or cheeseburgers. Philly cheesesteaks, hot meatballs and chicken spiedies rotate on different weeks, as do the side dishes. They might be chicken bacon ranch pasta salad, potato salad, salt potatoes, macaroni salad, bean casserole, soup and more. Desserts are also available and are different each week. Main dishes range from $3 to $6; desserts and sides are $2 each.

During the summer months, clams are also available for $10 a dozen by pre-order only until the end of August by calling (607) 898-3837.

The Auxiliary meets at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month. All are welcome to attend a meeting to see what it’s like for yourself. If membership interests you, you simply need to be able to document who in your direct family served in the armed forces.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or (607) 227-4922. 

In brief: 

Auxiliary raffles 

The Groton American Legion Auxiliary Unit 800 is running a raffle and photos of the five items available may be seen in Brittany Station’s front window, 152 Main St. There is a gas grill, corn hole board set, two anti-gravity lounge chairs, a patriotic pop-up tent and two children’s chairs with soaker guns, sports bag and a pop-up tent.

Tickets are $2 each with proceeds to benefit community groups, our veterans and others in need. Tickets are available to purchase at Brittany Station.

Groton Memorial Park reminders 

This is a friendly reminder that the Groton Memorial Park closes at dusk. With the constant vandalism occurring at the park, this will be enforced by local police. Special permission is given to pavilion rentals by the Groton Village Office with reservations.

It is becoming harder and harder to keep our park and pavilion clean. A park that is clean and well-maintained offers a safe and enjoyable place for people to visit. Please clean up after yourself and your family. Keeping parks clean can be every visitor’s job, which helps contribute to a more welcoming park.

BMX stunt bike show 

The professional performance teams of Dialed Action Sports represent some of the brightest stars of cycling sports, and its bike stunt shows are the nation’s leading provider of action sports performances and educational school assemblies.

These athletes are pushing the boundaries of what is possible on a bike and have a passion for sharing their love of cycling across the country.

Save the date now for two free shows Aug. 28 during Groton Olde Home Days.