You know the phrase, “All good things must come to an end.” It seems to encapsulate the perfect notion for those saying goodbye to the beloved American Legion Post 331 in Shorewood.
Veterans and civilians alike will be bidding farewell to the wood frame that holds so many memories over the years, on Saturday, April 13.
The building at 4121 N. Wilson Dr. has a pending offer of $625,000. Members of post 331, will get assigned to another post but the bar and restaurant will be no more and will not move to another location in Shorewood.
The neighborhood bar has been a special gathering place for the last 79 years.
Legion Post 331 Commander, Larry Fox, tells WTMJ's Melissa Barclay, he's incredibly sad to see it go.
“I don't know how to express my feelings at this point,” said Fox. “I hope that the people who buy it, can somehow keep the legacy going.”
Fox says although the building will go to another owner, the organization will still continue.
General Manager, Diane Dowland, says members of post 331 will get assigned to another post.
“The bar and restaurant will go away. It will not move to another location. We've had a good run.”
Dowland says more and more American Legions are closing. She says younger vets are connecting in different ways and don't have the same needs, as service members from an older generation once did.
“When it comes to vets of our generation, there are so many other programs, that they don't need to have the camaraderie of coming down to the American Legion and throwing back some beers and talking to other vets. That's pretty much gone away,” said Dowland.
She says veterans now acknowledge PTSD, unlike in the past, and that makes a difference.
“So the vets come back and they want to jump right back into their normal life again. They get the help that they need from the VA or other sources, and they want to move on with their lives,” Dowland explains.
But the memories that post 331 built-up over 79 years within the walls of the building on Wilson Dr. in Shorewood, cannot be taken away.
More memories will be made on Saturday, April 13, the final day of the post. The public is welcome throw back a few and say their goodbyes until the wee hours of the morning.