A GoFundMe page has been created for the Hepworth Shallow Lake Legion after it was completely destroyed by a fire.
The fundraising page was created by Legion Branch President Karie Cole and has a goal of $50,000. As of Friday at 7 p.m. 32 people had donated and $5,870 was raised.
The Legion, which also housed the Grey Bruce Music Hall of Fame burned down in the early morning of January 21st.
Past Hepworth Shallow Lake Legion President and Executive member Bill Vanstone says, executive members hope to rebuild both the legion hall and the music hall in the same location.
“That hall was the only hall around in this whole complete area that could carry, and host and was built for sound. Originally, that was supposed to be the Grand Ole Opry of the north,” says Vanstone.
He says they don’t have a concrete plan for the legion’s future yet and expects it will be discussed at the legion’s annual general meeting set for March 10th at the Sauble Community Centre, but Vanstone says things need to be organized with the insurance company first, which is a process that is underway. He hopes all the legion branch’s members will come to the annual general meeting to share ideas for the branch’s future and give their input.
He says the Town has offered a space to meet while the legion plans its next steps. “The mayor has been very good with us because right now, she said if you need the community centre in Sauble you can have that anytime you need it. They’re bending backwards for us, really treating us good,” says Vanstone.
Back on January 21st, South Bruce Peninsula Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Services Tim Wilson estimated the loss to be around $2 million.
Vanstone says insurance would cover much of the rebuild, but there will still be all kinds of other expenses.
According to Vanstone, the music hall was a big part of what kept the legion there afloat and allowed them to make donations to the community. He says, “All the money we do make, very little is kept for us, most of it is donated. We give back to the community, to the hospital, to the Salvation Army.”
He says, “People forget that you have the flags that you carry, and your slings for the people that carry the flags, there’s so much involved– the stands to hold them and you never think of that, you just think of a building, but it’s all the stuff that goes with it.” Vanstone says they had just finished installing a water softener system for over $3,600 before the building burned down.
He says they’ll have a lot to replace, adding, “The memorabilia and some of the stuff in there is irreplaceable. You’ll never get that back.”
He says he’s not sure what will happen with the baseball diamond, noting it wasn’t often used in recent years, and he isn’t quite sure why.
The Hepworth-Shallow Lake Legion has roughly 70 members. Vanstone says they’d love to have more.
Vanstone says Legion membership at the Hepworth Shallow Lake Legion Branch #586 is $60 a year. You do NOT need to be a veteran, a serving member of the military or a family member of one. Any Canadian or citizen of an Allied nation 18 years or older can join.
You can find the GoFundMe page HERE