By Thomas Smith

On Thursday, May 1, the Haliburton Legion invited all of their volunteers for an appreciation lunch. Quickly on the day, the room became packed with around 100 volunteers and friendly faces, says Legion President Mike Waller.

“We are part of the community,” said Waller. “And the community is part of us.”

At the appreciation event, Mike and Cheryl Waller had a song performed about them and were presented with a handmade card signed by a plethora of volunteers thanking them for what they do.

“Nothing can be done without volunteers,” said Waller. “We have to have volunteers to be successful.”

Since joining the Legion, Waller and his wife Cheryl have pushed for the Legion to become a staple in the community. From a meeting place, hangout spot, to hosting local events, the Wallers are committed to removing the stigma of the Legion being a gatekeeping club.

The Legion’s number one priority will always remain the service and support of local veterans, says Waller.

Our Legion is for everyone. As a designated emergency shelter for the Haliburton community, their next goal is to secure a generator.

Recently, the Legion has also made an accessible parking space and completed their elevator last year to encourage more rentals of their four private rooms.

Waller says that he is continuously wowed with how the Haliburton community comes together to support each other and support the Legion and knows the community will support them towards getting a generator.

Last year, when a birthday party was hosted at the Legion, Waller showed some teenagers how to throw darts. The idea to start a youth darts program came to him. Now, participants aged 10 to 18 have a space to come and play darts on Monday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nowadays with third spaces becoming rare, it is important for communal spaces for youth to have fun that does not cost money.

Waller says that he hopes word spreads about the youth dart program on Monday nights. With plenty of space, the Legion is happy for more youth to hang out and throw some darts.

On Tuesday from 7 p.m. until late, the Legion offers their dart league for people of all ages. On Wednesdays, the Legion has bridge from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and they host their meat draws on Friday nights.

“No one comes close,” said Waller. “We have the best meat draw anywhere.”

The Wallers are proud that popularity of the Legion as a community institution has increased and several community groups such as HHHS utilize the space for meetings and programming.

“It’s fantastic to be able to do that and give back” said Waller. “It gives them a place to do what they need to get done.”

Leading the Haliburton Legion towards change, Waller says that he enjoys splitting wood and making maple syrup in his spare time.

The Haliburton Legion is seeking fresh faced volunteers. Anyone that is interested in volunteering with the Legion are encouraged to come by the Legion and chat with President Waller. You can also apply to become a member at haliburtonlegion.com.

“We’re a lot of fun,” said Cheryl Walker.