Hayfield American Legion busier than ever after grand re-opening

(ABC 6 News) – The Hayfield American Legion held a grand re-opening this week after renovating nearly their entire facility and going under new management with the Village Pub Lounge.

“We are a small town, but we’re a small town that works together,” said Kurt Orning, a member of the Sons of the American Legion.

The new partnership with Village Pub Lounge allows the legion to be open seven days a week and serve meals from open to close. This has caused them to be very busy since they’ve re-opened.

“The bar’s been hopping, the restaurant has been just, I mean, last night I was in here and every table was full, there was standing room only,” said Vince Reynolds, Commander of the Hayfield American Legion.

Reynolds is recently retired from 22 years in the Marine Corps. He’s been a member of the legion since 1991, but has become much more involved over the last few years.

“Talking about our service days and things like that, it’s an important thing. We relive the good times, kinda laugh about the bad times too, but it’s a way for veterans to get together,” said Reynolds.

It’s important for veterans to have a place to get together and connect with one another. The legion in Hayfield has proved how important that is by working together to make the re-opening the best it can be.

Ninety-five percent of the renovations were done by legion members.

“We have a lot of talented people in our group, and they really rolled up their sleeves and did a lot of work over a very short period of time,” said Reynolds.

Reynolds has more repair projects he wants to do in the future to keep improving the building so it will last for decades to come.

“It’s really encouraging, actually, and I’m looking forward to a future of good times and a lot of good friends,” said Orning.

The American Legion and its supporters really value community.

It’s not just about having a place to get together and talk, but being able to help one another out as well.