Marking 100 years with the Yorkton Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion!

Reader here!  It’s been a minute, as the usual summer shuffle is underway, where I’ve been covering different shifts in the news department, due to co-workers enjoying some vacation time.

(Don’t worry… I’m taking a couple of weeks off in August myself, so I’ll get to enjoy some summer relaxation, as well!)

There’s always lots going on in the listening area, and something very cool took place this past Friday, July 17th, as the Royal Canadian Legion celebrated 100 years of serving veterans and communities right across Canada.

As someone who, like many of you, had family members that served our country in the military, the importance of the Legion and what they do, is not lost on me.

I’m part of the “All That Jazz” community big band, and we were honoured to be a part of the celebration put on by the Yorkton Legion General Alexander Ross #77 Branch this past Friday night.

                                                                                                                                                       My view of the proceedings from the back row of the band!

The Yorkton Legion was busy on Friday, first, serving up free coffee, goodies and hot dogs throughout the day, and then on Friday night, a social was held at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Hall, to round out the day’s activities.

The highlight was the opening of a time capsule, that had been planted in the ground at the cenotaph on Darlington Street, back in 1986, when the Legion marked its 60th anniversary.

Following some speeches by Legion members and Yorkton-Melville M.P. Cathay Wagantall, the capsule was opened.

The capsule itself was pretty neat – they used the casing from a 105-millimetre shell!  It was neat to see how much they were able to fit in there back in ’86.

                                                                                                                                    The contents of the time capsule were packed into this shell casing, back in 1986!

(And seeing the shell casing up close, it was also a little terrifying to think about the shell that would have been fired from it back in the day.  It definitely makes you stop and appreciate and respect those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us during armed conflict around the world.)

The capsule had a number of items inside, from Legion rosters and documents, to photos, to a flag commemorating the Legion’s 60th anniversary, back in 1986.  There was even a Go-Bots book in there, when you could get a comic for $2.50!  (Those were the days!)

                                                                                                                       A flag from the Legion’s 60th anniversary was among the contents of the time capsule!

After the formal part of the evening, the cake was cut and everyone got to enjoy some refreshments, to cap off the evening.

It was fantastic to see so many folks come out to the celebration.

Don’t forget – where once, Legion membership was open to ex-service members of Canada’s armed forces and Merchant Navy, members of the general public can now join.

If you’re looking to serve the community, the Legion is a great option!