Tea American Legion continues to thrive

Despite rumors that the Blau-DeBoer Post #266 American Legion in Tea is closing, Legion members say they are thriving. Member Kyle Huinker has heard rumors that they are losing their post or the national organization is pulling their charter. “That is completely contradictory to what the national organization is trying to do because they’re very set on membership growth right now. By the year 2020, which is our 100th anniversary, as an organization they want to be at a 20 percent membership growth nationwide,” Huinker said. “They’re not looking to get rid of any posts. Posts that are vibrant, they are more than willing to support and continue.” M e m b e r Jerry Hoff said the post in Tea is doing fi ne. They are making changes and updating faciities to bring them up to date.

Legion member and Legion baseball coach Brandon Cuppy said more people are coming into the building and seeing the improvements and want to know more about using the building. Hoff said the Legion used to be a hub years ago when they would host dances Friday and Saturday nights. “After all the other places opened up and you get more and more places available, this place kind of got forgotten,” Hoff said. Today, Tea Legion membership is about 120 members strong. Huinker said they are working to get back into being more of a civic and community organization.