My dad was the first Commander ever of the Mantador VFW Post
9317. He and his friends came home from winning a war and built a post where
veterans could meet and celebrate. Where wedding dances and memorial services
could be held.
Along with that came certain rights. Rights that they had
earned. The right to lead a community they called home. And they did.
A lot of other things went on in that hall. From fish fry’s
to bingo to gun raffles, these events were held to raise money. To do that,
they needed to make it fun.
The type of fun that would help pay for shingles and paint.
Not to mention fuel oil. Fuel oil that would stop the pipes from bursting and
the lights to stay on.
Out of all those events, the most fun were the smokers.
Smokers that broke the law. Raffle tickets were sold for hams, bacon and turkeys.
Not to mention
money
. Blackjack and dice tables were used and of course,
good old-fashioned poker.
There were men from all over the area that came specifically
for it. They came to play high stakes poker in a back room. The kind of poker
where quarters of land were exchanged because some never belonged.
In those days, most counties only had a sheriff and a
deputy. The type of sheriff that knew about Posts like 9317. They knew enough
to be on the other end of the county when the smoker was going on.
The true heroes in all of this were the Auxiliary. The meals
were amazing and made in a kitchen too small for most homes. Ham, turkey,
mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy were always on the menu. Plus, this
beautiful woman named Doris always made enough deviled eggs for all 300+ people
that attended.
Those smokers are still held today. The poker and dice are
gone, as is the spin wheel. The back room has been replaced with keg storage.
And the new kitchen is so big no one even bumps butts.
But it’s still fun.
After all, electric heat has to be paid for too.
Good riding with you.
(Joel Heitkamp is a talk show host on the Mighty 790 KFGO in Fargo-Moorhead. His award-winning program, “News & Views,” can be heard weekdays from 8 – 11 a.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @JoelKFGO.)