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FREE Vol. 38 No. 22
May 29, 2024 ■ Also serving Garfield Park ■ austinweeklynews.com
With declining enrollment, can American Legions, VFWs stay relevant today?
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Cicada d coloring l contest, page 10
AUSTIN RUNS STORY BY SAM TUCKER, PAGE 9
With the closure of Forest Park’s American Legion Post 414, others say the future is with younger veterans By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Known for the Friday fish fry, corner bar and dedication to veterans, the country’s American Legions and VFWs, longtime national touchstones, are navigating how to thrive as their memberships shift. Although more than 12,000 American Legion posts and nearly 6,000 worldwide locations of the Veterans of Foreign Wars still exist, membership in these service organizations is dropping as veterans grow older or die. See AMERICAN LEGION on page 8
SAM TUCKER/AUSTINTALKS
Run Crew members Maurice Todd, Daniel Todd, Tanya Smith and Pamela Washington run down Chicago Avenue in Austin on March 28.
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