Blake Ellis/The Independent

“I would like to welcome you to our new home,” said Alvinston Legion Branch President Jack MacDonald.

After 56 years at its River Street location, the Alvinston Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion moved into its new home on Nauvoo Road at the beginning of 2026. The Branch 249 made it official with a grand opening celebration and ribbon cutting on Saturday.

Alvinston Legion members began to plan renovate to its River Street location, but the plans were halted when the pandemic hit, said MacDonald. After the pandemic passed, the Legion planned to build on the former Columbia lot.

The branch began fundraising, but due to the high cost of building supplies, it would have taken a long time to raise the money needed to begin construction. Estimates were in the millions.

“Then Riverstone fell into our lap,” said MacDonald. “The owners of the restaurant approached the Legion with a deal too good to refuse.”

A deal was signed Sept. 11 and after some renovations, the new space opened on Jan. 2.

“We have been working hard to make the property our own and not looking like a restaurant anymore,” said MacDonald.

The doors were painted red and benches, displaying the inscription, ‘By sea, by land and in the air, we will remember them’ are on the front porch. Members have donated planter boxes and red umbrellas and the Legion sign is proudly displayed out front.

The new location allows the Legion to have a fully equipped kitchen.

That’s opened up another fundraising opportunity, allowing the branch to host a breakfast on the last Sunday of each month. The breakfast volunteers are taking a summer break. They will start cooking again in the fall.

Another new venture has been the two-day quilt retreat. Typically, there are 20 to 25 women per day during the program. A new session has already been booked for the fall with a few one-day retreats being planned for the summer.

The Alvinston Legion has a long history receiving its charter on Aug. 15, 1933 when the veteran’s organization was first known as the British Empire Service League.

The organization didn’t become the Royal Canadian Legion until 1961.

“It is our hope to be here for many years to come,” said MacDonald.