No fundraisers planned yet
By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
OXFORD — The Oxford American Legion Post 108 is still operating as much as possible after a truck crashed through the building’s west side on Dec. 28, leaving one passenger dead.
The bar side of the building at 130 E. Drahner Rd. was reopened less than a week after the crash.
Post 108 member and museum founder Jim Parkhurst told the Oxford Leader that legion staff are working on transferring the building’s PA system so it works on the club side, are looking into get a credit card machine and more that was damaged so everything on the club side is as it was before the accident. He added they will continue “all the normal stuff” the legion regularly hosts, including Wednesday night dinners.
“We are doing fish frys, we’ll try to do small parties when we can, small wedding parties, we can do them on the bar side, if necessary,” Parkhurst said. “We’re trying to accommodate what we can for the community.”
The lack of hall rentals is expected to most impact the legion because it currently does not have the capacity to hold up to 175 people on the that side of the building.
The legion’s museum was also damaged in the crash, along with numerous items including Korean War, Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm uniforms and picture frames.
While Parkhurst said some of these uniforms need repairs, he also said he has contacts with military collectors who he said could keep an eye out for potential replacements at military shows. He added that wood-frame model planes were crushed and also need to be repaired. One club member built the models as a boy scout and can do some repair work.
“It’s been quite a procedure,” he said. “It’s going to have an all-new ceiling, drop ceiling, all-new speakers, all-new lighting. The floor is going to have to be redone and re-epoxied, plus all the steel work that’s got to get done.”
Parkhurst also said the outside of the building needs to be enclosed because a 20-foot section of wall needs to be torn down. This will happen once steel beams are removed from the damaged area.
While companies have been out to inspect the building structurally, the legion is still waiting for the evaluations as of Jan. 9, according to Post 108 Commander Dave Perry.
The accident happened after the driver of a truck had a seizure, hit a car at the intersection of Drahner Road and M-24, and was diverted toward the post. It missed the nearby gas station, trees, boulders and clipped the legion’s helicopter before hitting the museum side wall. The truck was airborne at least twice, according to Perry.
“From the legion, of course, our very deepest condolences to the family,” Perry said. “It’s a terrible tragedy. You don’t want to ever see anybody lose a life.”
No one inside the building was injured in the crash.
Parkhurst also said the legion administration will decide if assistance from other avenues is necessary once it is further along in the insurance process, but there is no fundraiser or volunteer help needed at this time