Tools

Military Matters: American Legion Post Sees Jump In Membership

Story Published: Sep 12, 2012 at 2:06 PM EDT

Story Updated: Sep 12, 2012 at 6:30 PM EDT

At a time when many American Legion posts across the country are facing dwindling memberships, Post 162 in Lowville is enjoying near-record growth.

"We've actually seen our numbers go up to over 500, which is something that we've not achieved since 1932," said Lee Hinkleman, the post's commander.

That's thanks, at least in part, to a recent successful push to recruit younger members -especially active duty military attached to Fort Drum.

"You'll go into a lot of the older clubs and you'll see pretty much the same stuff that you've ever seen - the dusty bottles, the this and that - and we've changed all that. We've cleaned things up. We're changing things continually," said Lee.

Changes meant to attract a younger crowd include things like adding high-speed wireless internet access and outreach through social media.

There's also a new outdoor deck with a new wheelchair access ramp.

It was finished just in time for the first Friday night dinners of the season.

Its new food stand will be unveiled at the Cream Cheese Fest this weekend.

Already though, business is up 38 percent.

"It is insane. The numbers have been just tremendous," said Lee.

The post's commander says more big improvements are already in the works.

Still, there's one thing here that will never change:

"We're taking care of the legion family. We're - our website is americanlegionfamily.com - and that kind of says it all because we truly are a family," said Lee.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
, Watertown, NY

On Demand

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

What's On TonightFull Schedule