The Henry G. Fix Post 23 meeting opened on Thursday, September 7th at 8:02 pm. The meeting was opened by Commander Beth Welch with a salute to the Colors, POW/MIA observance, the Pledge of Allegiance, and Preamble to the American Legion Constitution.
Chaplain Meyers offered an opening prayer. 23 members were present. Special guest present was Markus Staeffler, a Veteran and National Guard member.
The minutes of the previous meeting were presented and approved. The finance and social reports were approved. Bills were approved for payment. Service Officer Nancy Grandy reported that get well cards were sent to David Coburn and Bennie Nustad.
A sympathy card was sent to Dennis Franz due to the death of his mother. Joe Vandersnick informed that Jon Reidl will return from his deployment this month. It is the 70th wedding anniversary this month for Owen and Lois Wiese. Arden Sorenson will turn 90 years old this month.
The membership report was given by Jon Schmidt. He reported that our 2024 goal is 204. For 2024 we currently have a total of 104 members at this point. This puts us at 51% of our goal already!
Bob Bennett has been reaching out to the school for the Oratory Contest. The District Oratory Contest will be held on January 21st, 2024 in Humboldt. Paul Evenson reported that four Color Guard members will lead the Garretson Homecoming Parade. Brian Siemonsma reported on baseball. They are now in the off season. He has coaches lined up for next year. He is looking into possibly getting new uniforms.
Gary Lyngen is starting the move of the framework for Past Commander pictures. Our Post attended the 1st Annual Kingsbury County American Legion Purple Heart Appreciation Dinner on August 7th. It was a well organized, great event. Our Post Blood Drive will take place on Friday, October 20th from 11 am to 5 pm. Our goal is to collect 26 pints. The United Church of Garretson will host a Garretson Community Mental Health Event at the Legion on Monday, October 9th.
Commander Welch sent a letter to Mayor Beaner explaining our disappointment with his decision to dissolve our partnership with the fireworks event. The money from “passing the hat” at the gates was also included with the letter. The letter was also emailed to all City Council members. Our letter and the fireworks were discussed at the August City Council meeting. Our Post is honored to have supported the fireworks for over 60 years. We are proud of the community support we receive and will continue to look for new ways to show our support through programs, events, and sponsorship.
Andy Lyngen and Paul Evenson attended the National Convention in Charlotte. Daniel J. Seehafer was elected National Commander. He is continuing the “Be The One” theme. Paul mentioned that the Alex Palou car from Chip Ganassi racing won the Indy 500 Race with the American Legion sponsored car. This car has been a huge success story for the Legion.
Our next Post meeting will be Thursday, October 5th. The meeting will be at 8 pm with the meal starting at 7:00 pm.
The next Post breakfast will be on October 1st with omelets. The next District meeting is October 21st in Tea, with social at 11 am, meal at 12 pm, and meeting at 1 pm. The next County meeting will be in Sioux Falls at Post 15 on October 24th with the meeting at 7 pm and a meal prior. David Sorenson and Jim Hoefert sponsored the Blue Dragon that was painted on the sidewalk outside the Legion Post.
The monthly raffle drawing for September took place. The 4 winners were: Teresa Kramer, Kayli Coburn, Owen Petersek, and Ben Nusted. Each will receive $150. Commander Beth Welch closed the meeting with the usual ceremony at 9:16 pm.
-Respectfully submitted, Mark Wiesner, Post 23 Historian
