By GLENN KAHL
209 Living
In Ripon there is at least one planned Super Bowl party.
The Ripon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1051 on West Ripon Road at Olive Avenue expects more than 100 football fans expected to come through the doors and cheer for their favorite team.
While the Ripon Inn is expecting to host its regular crowd, a specific program has not been announced yet. Restaurants including the Main Street Roadhouse, Canal Street Grill and the Spring Creek Country Club were closing for the day with the Roadhouse planning to have a party for its staffers. They all cited poor customer turnout in past years.
A number of Spring Creek Estates residents are planning to have progressive home-to-home parties in the course of the game – moving during the commercial breaks. Mike’s Pizza is not officially planning a party but a manager noted the TV will be on for anyone wanting to come through the door.
The VFW party is scheduled to start around noon on Super Bowl Sunday. They will use both rooms – dining room and bar — for the party. The post is welcoming its members and their guests but the public is not invited unless they come with a VFW member.
The food is being taken care of by the Post along with side dishes brought by its members that may also enjoy ordering their drinks from the bar. Five television sets are mounted above the bar with another four throughout the facility with the largest TV in the dining area.
A total of 350 members belong to the VFW but less than half that number is expected to watch the game from the Ripon Post. A large raffle is being planned for the event with a barrel of whisky will be the focus in a wheelbarrow. In the last few months the VFW has had about 25 new members join its ranks with most of them being auxiliary members – those who served in areas other than war zones throughout the world.
The Men’s Auxiliary of the VFW ceased to exist on the last day of December and it was decided to disburse the final funds in their account. A thousand dollars of that fund is going for the renovation of the Pony Bar and another $1,000 to provide rock for the side parking area. Some $1,300 is being allocated to the Auxiliary Troops Package mailing fund with $500 directed toward a memorial plaque and the balance to the Post Floor Fund.
To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabuleltin.com.
