AMVETS Post 100 in Jacksonville is honoring its long and storied history with a 70th anniversary celebration next weekend.
WLDS-WEAI News spoke with Jim Duncan, who goes over all the activities that can be expected at the celebration.
“Doors open at 10 o’clock on Saturday as usual, open to the public everyday. We’re going to start doing some presentations about 2:30. We’ll have snacks out during the day, we’ll have entertainment, we are going to have door prizes throughout the day too. Everybody’s welcome to come, there’s no cost to attend. We have video gaming and we have a bar opened up, so anybody who wants to can join us,” says Duncan.
Jacksonville’s AMVETS Post 100 was established in 1946, a little more than a year after the national AMVETS organization was formed.
Duncan explains how AMVETS got its start more than seven decades ago and some of the organization’s basic principles.
“It was started by World War II veterans who didn’t feel that some of the organizations met some of their needs, so they started their own group, and it’s for all veterans, anyone who’s served from World War II on. The AMVETS is a little more open, anyone who served and was honorably discharged can join us, so we’re very open, very inclusive,” Duncan says.
With Veteran’s Day celebrations taking place last week, AMVETS tries to be a part of as many activities as they can. However, Duncan says, the organization’s main focus is helping Veterans transition back to day-to-day life.
“This year we’ve done Murrayville, South Jacksonville, JHS and we did a flag raising ceremony at MacMurray and a flag raising ceremony at Cedarhurst and we’ve had fundraisers on a regular basis for the food bank. But our real goal is to help veterans, help them find jobs and take care of themselves and get back to being successful members of society,” says Duncan.
The 70th anniversary celebration takes place on Saturday, November 26th at AMVETS Post 100, located at 210 East Court Street in Jacksonville. Doors open at 10 a.m., with a presentation and snacks to follow at 2:30 and 3:30. Later in the evening, starting at 7 p.m., musical entertainment will be provided by DJ Snake.
To find out more about the event, contact AMVETS Post 100 at 243-9990, or check out the AMVETS Post Facebook page.