The Charles E. Sherman Jr. American Legion Post #36, Sons of the Legion and American Legion Auxiliary held their sixth annual yard sale Aug. 7. From furniture to outdoor equipment to skiffs, tents and toys, the Legion's varied members and the community came out in full force to support the common mission of promoting justice, freedom and democracy through mutual helpfulness.

Post #36 Commander (Ret.) David Patch said about 60% of the materials for the sale are provided by Legion, Auxiliary or Sons’ membership and the rest by generous community members. “We're kind of blessed because we have the facility for people to bring stuff and put it into storage units or inside the Post. The first few years, we didn't have that luxury.”

The sale was held at the Boothbay Common for its first three years and has since been held at Post #36 in Boothbay Industrial Park. Patch said the Common is more visible, but holding the sale at the Post is easier for volunteers than hauling furniture to the Common. “We don't have many younger volunteers primarily because people work for a living, so usually people don't get involved in the service organizations until after they retire retire.”

The main source of income for the Post are the yard sales and the biweekly breakfasts held April through November, said Patch. Those started at around 40 breakfast-goers in its earliest days on Atlantic Avenue; and before the pandemic arrived, the Legion was serving around 80. “Now we're averaging 150 I think partly because everybody wants to get out.”

Auxiliary member Sue Burge, a premier waffle chef for the breakfasts, said success throughout the pandemic is largely due to people like Tom Minerich who provides outdoor picnic tables and Bob Moore who plays the piano. “When we're loaded in there, or not loaded in there, families are out here dining in the good weather and avoiding close quarters ... and, oh, (Bob)'s fabulous.”

HAM radio operator Al Sirois had equipment for sale and forms for sending a message via the waves. Sirois said HAM radios are kept operational and their operators up to speed in case of cellular, landline and satellite failures. Sirois' coverage area spans from the bridge between Bath and Woolwich to Waldo County. N1MHC is Sirois' amateur radio call sign and NNA1AS is the government call sign he and four other operators use on special frequencies.

“Today we're providing a national traffic system form for visitors or anybody in an emergency who needs to get a message to anybody. All we need is the name, address and phone number and they're allowed 25 words. Over HF stations, VHF or digital stations I can do it over government frequencies or over amateur radio frequencies and get the message through in one or two days.”

Boothbay Veterans Emergency Temporary Shelter (VETS), Inc. President Ed Harmon and Vice President Arthur Richardson, also a pioneer of the Sunday breakfasts, were busy behind the grill. “We've got five shelters being used, four more we're building and we have eight more coming,” said Harmon. Boothbay VETS will also hold a BBQ fundraiser Aug. 21 featuring a 17-piece jazz band, The Volunteers.