People are dancing again at Whalley Legion, in a spacious new lounge on the ground floor of the landmark Veterans Village building on City Parkway, at 106 Avenue.
That same corner is where the previous Legion hall stood for 59 years, from 1960 until 2019, when it was knocked down and the operators moved to a temporary location a couple blocks away.
At the north end of the red-and-black tower, the 10,500-square-foot restaurant/bar had a “soft opening” with Sweetmax hosting a 4 p.m. jam for musicians on April 30.
“The lineup for the bar stretched back to there,” said Legion vice-president Jill Bilesky, pointing south.
“We’re up and going, finally,” she added. “Everybody’s been waiting so long for this place to open, and even though we said it was a ‘soft’ opening, it seemed like everybody came to check it out, and everybody seemed really happy. Nobody really complained about the lineup, because that’s what it’s like here on Remembrance Day, too.”
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The opening was delayed by the late arrival of a liquor license and point-of-sale system. Opening week was cash-only sales, as Interac wasn’t yet operational.
Legion branch 229’s new social club doesn’t have a stage or fancy lights, but that didn’t seem to matter to people who danced to classic-rock and country hits performed by Brandall last Friday night (May 5).
Dann Wilhelm sings in the family band.
“The whole place is big and spacious,” he said. “I thought it is quite an upgrade from the old place. A proper stage would be nice, otherwise the new lounge is beautiful. Even the washrooms are nice.”
Wilhelm performs with his father Hennie Wilhelm (guitar, vocals), mother Ingrid Keller (vocals) and stepfather John Keller (drums).
The band name plays on an Indonesian word meaning “naughty” or “mischievous,” just with an extra L at the end. “My family is half Indonesian/half Dutch,” Wilhelm noted.
Bilesky books the Legion’s bands, the schedule for which is found on facebook.com/RCL229. Live music is played three days a week – on Friday and Saturday nights, also Sundays from 4 to 8 p.m.
“It’s really hard to keep everybody happy on a given day,” Bilesky said of the mix of music. “When the band’s not playing, they can always press something on the jukebox we have back there. It’s wired to the sound system and has thousands of songs in there. It sounds really awesome.”
Patrons on the other side of the bar, around a corner and closer to two pool tables, can watch bands perform on big-screen televisions.
“That’s our banquet space there, once we get the door for it,” Bilesky said of the dance-floor area last Friday.
“There’s a few places where bands can set up here,” she added. “We didn’t put in a stage because then you’re limited with what you can use that space for when there’s no band, through the week, so this works better for us because it’s flexible. We’ll have cadets in here too, and they need that space.”
The lounge opening is well timed with Whalley Legion celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
The new Legion was nearly 10 years in the making, and on Feb. 8 guests at a Veterans Village grand-opening event saw the new Legion space for the first time.
Legion members are given priority access to underground parking, and also deals on food and beverages. Minors are allowed in the establishment until 10 p.m.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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