Legion Post #27 is moving after 86 years!

American Legion Ocala Post #27 is moving out of the building they constructed in 1933. It is sad to leave our home after 86 years of fantastic memories. Think of all the World War II dances held to boost troop morale and raise funds to wage the war. The American Legion Building was the very first building constructed in Tuscawilla Park, which is just two blocks from Downtown Ocala.

While we are sad to leave, we are equally excited about the advantages that the new building will offer. We firmly believe that the advantages outweigh the loss of our old building. Here are the advantages:

1.  PARKING - The City is building a parking lot that will hold approximately 40 to 50 cars, plus an additional 14 near the building for people with disabilities. If that weren't enough, the County Health Department has signed an agreement that allows us to use up to 30 of their parking spots near our building. That gives us the ability to park nearly 100 cars for any of our programs or meetings. 
2. BUILDING USAGE - We can use the building any day of the week after 4pm, plus all day Friday and Saturday. Additionally, we have a conference room that seats around 20 that we have unlimited use of at any time. At our old building, we were limited to using the building only one evening a month for our meetings. In addition we could request up to 5 other days during the year if we requested in advance and there were no conflicts with groups renting the building. 
3. NO RENTAL TO OUTSIDE GROUPS - In the mid 1990s after the Post decided to donate the Legion Building to the City of Ocala, they started renting it out to other groups for weddings, retirement, birthdays and other uses. Our new building will not be rented by the City. But, we are sharing it with the Ocala Duplicate Bridge Club as we have been for the past 17 years.
4. LOCATION - The new building is located only a few yards from one of the major walking trails in Jervey Gantt Park. This should provide exposure to a large number of people who walk/jog during the day and evening. It should provide an opportunity to hold Patriotic, Membership or Fund Raising Events for the public. 
5. SAFETY OF THE BUILDING - Our 1933 building does not meet current building codes and would take a large investment to bring it up to code. The new building has been completely renovated to meet all building codes. Additionally it has new flooring, paint, electrical wiring, Video Surveillance plus the building is wired with Fiber Optic WiFi and Ethernet outlets.

We are planning on holding several new programs like the "Morning Walk & Talk" where veterans are encouraged to walk a portion of the trail, then join us in our Conference Room for coffee and a snack. We are also going to install several computers so we can offer courses for veterans to learn how to set up and operate computers and Smart Phones along with the various software programs and cellphone Apps. In addition, we are considering working a local Sea Scout unit as well as adopting an Assisted Living Facility and putting on programs for the veterans who are residents. We can do all of these things if we can recruit members who desire to serve and become active in the Post. We have some already, but we need more. Please consider helping us with these and some other projects we could accomplish.