LEGIONNAIRES — Individuals with American Legion Post 682 and the Motorcyclist Memorial Foundation in Hopedale include, from left, American Legion members Vee Jay Beadling, executive board; Richard Blair, commander; Andy Atkins, chaplain; and Frank DiBenedetto, finance officer, as well as Scott Van Kirk, chairman of the board for the motorcyclist memorial. -- Christopher Dacanay

HOPEDALE — Chartered and incorporated in 1919 by Congress, the American Legion has been supporting veterans for more than 100 years.

Among the organization’s 12,000 local posts is American Legion Post 682, located at 48225 Rabbit Road. Chartered in 1951, the post was formerly located on West Main Street before moving to its current location in 1976.

The post owns a little more than 100 acres. That includes baseball and softball fields and a performance stage.

At the center of it all is the American Legion building, which offers food and beverages. It’s home base for Post 682’s members, as well as members of other local groups — the American Legion Riders, known for riding motorcycles to honor fallen service members; Sons of the American Legion, open to service members’ male relatives; and the American Legion Auxiliary, open to female relatives.

Commander Richard Blair said the post pulls membership from Hopedale and surrounding communities, and the building services about 150 veterans regularly.

“We’re very community-active, very community-oriented,” Blair said, noting he wants more people to know about all the ways American Legion Post 682 has worked to benefit the community.

During the winter months, the post’s building is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays — once the weather breaks, all days will return to the 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule, Blair said. Individuals who aren’t members of the post or one of the associated groups can visit the building as a guest three times, after which they must purchase a membership.

The post holds many events the public can attend membership-free, Blair said. Those include a wing special on Wednesdays, fish frys on Fridays during Lent, steak fries hosted by the riders and entertainment on Saturdays — bands, karaoke and DJs.

Chad Case, a member of the post’s executive board, said he cooks ribs for the post to bring more people into the building, adding, “Every single thing you do can bring in a member, and that’s what you need.”

The post holds an Independence Day fireworks exhibit that Blair said is the area’s “definitive” event for the holiday, drawing thousands to the post’s lawn, which also hosts mini tractor pulls.

Blair said the post accommodates dinners for families of veterans who have died, and the building’s rentable dining room is “almost always booked” on weekends.

Local youth leagues use the ballfields for free in the summer. Maintained by the leagues, the fields also host charity events, including the Annual Jimmy Ward Memorial Softball Tournament.

Post members are active in the community, said executive board member Vee Jay Beadling, who said Legionnaires participate in a Memorial Day tour, during which they conduct services at six different cemeteries and for veterans at Gables Care Center.

Chaplain Andy Atkins said members educated local students about the history and proper handling of the U.S. and Ohio flags. In a competition that pitted their flag knowledge against that of other students sponsored by Legion posts, Post 682’s representatives have earned district wins.

Part of the post building’s patronage comes from visitors to the Motorcyclist Memorial wall and walkway. Made of granite and separated into two parts, an initial portion and an expansion, the wall sits on a hill overlooking the post building.

Opened in 1993, the memorial is dedicated to motorcyclists who have died, with names inscribed on the wall and on walkway bricks. At the wall’s center is a large stone, engraved with a poem by Dan Waterfield and a remembrance of “brothers and sisters lost.” Additional pillars bear the Pledge of Allegiance, and flanking the wall are granite motorcycles.

Scott Van Kirk, chairman of the board for the Motorcyclist Memorial Foundation, said the initial wall contains 1,187 names, and the expanded wall will accommodate another 3,000. Names represent individuals from all 50 states and three different countries, Van Kirk said, and new ones are added every year.

A two-day rededication ceremony draws upward of a thousand individuals around Memorial Day for food, music and the reading of names, Van Kirk added.

“I can’t thank Post 682 enough for letting us use this property,” Van Kirk said. “They’ve been an enormous help.”

Post 682, its events and its charitable giving — focused on benefiting children and impoverished individuals — are self-funded, Blair said. To keep expanding those operations, the post is seeking to upgrade its liquor license.

In the March 19 primary election, residents of Hopedale and Green Township will be asked to vote on whether Post 682 should be allowed to sell spiritous drinks on Sundays, which it is currently not licensed to do. Blair said the issue pertains only to Post 682’s building, and passage would not cost residents anything.

“We ask the voters of Hopedale and Green Township for a ‘yes’ vote on our issue,” Blair said, adding that an upgraded license will allow the post to expand its business operations and generate more money to continue giving back to the community.

“Our motto for the upcoming election is ‘Helping us is helping you too,'” Blair said.

Blair said he wants more people to know about the positive things Post 682 is doing for veterans and the community, and he’s still surprised when people — even locals — are unaware of it all.

Van Kirk said of the MMF’s 31-year relationship with the post: “We love it out here. We’ve got a group of great people who help us keep it all going.”

Beadling noted, “Andy (Atkins) and I both have over 50 years apiece here (with Post 682), so it’s got to be something good.”