Volunteers from the Edward H. Ackerman American Legion Post 397 in Hellertown are busy putting the finishing touches on a months-long ballroom restoration project.
The Legion’s second-floor ballroom–once a source of pride for the organization, as well as a gathering place for generations of Hellertonians–will reopen later this month after a closure of nearly eight years.
Legion Commander Geoff Baer said he and a crew of about eight other men and women have been making repairs and cleaning the large room on Tuesdays and Thursdays for months.
Most of the volunteers are retired Legionnaires who are donating their time so the Legion can begin to rent the room out for weddings, parties and events again, and generate needed income from those events.
It’s also hoped that the facility will again become a social hub for the community as it was in the past.
Baer said the room seats between 160 and 200 people, depending on how tables are configured.
There is a stage at one end of the high-ceilinged room and a long bar at the other.
A wooden parquet dance floor has been refinished and the curtains on the stage are being expertly restitched by Baer’s wife, Gail, who is a professional seamstress.
The ballroom’s official reopening to the public will be Friday, Nov. 27, 2015, when there will be a performance by local singer Tommy Zito at 7 p.m. There will be a $5 cover charge and a cash bar featuring $1.75 Coors Light drafts. Food will also be available.
Baer said the next major project the volunteers will turn their attention to is the kitchen next to the ballroom, which they hope to contract with a local caterer to operate.
The Legion recently acquired the kitchen equipment from Bergy’s Mall in Lower Saucon Township, which closed in mid-October.
The American Legion is located at 935 Main St., Hellertown. For more information about reserving the ballroom, call 484-851-3624.
Events such as karaoke are regularly held in its first floor bar area, and updates about upcoming events are posted on its Facebook page.
On Saturday, Nov. 14 the Legion will host an All-You-Can-Eat Pig Roast.
