A veterans club in Steveston wants the community to know it's not just for grandmas and grandpas anymore.
"The Army and Navy has always been seen as very... you have to be 90. It's where grandma and grandpa go. And that's not what the Army and Navy is (now). That's the Army and Navy of the 70's," said Sharon Marshall, spokesperson of Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada Unit 284 (ANAF 284).
The veterans club at 111900 No. 1 Rd. has been around since 1946, and it moved into its current facility in 2012.
It's still a members club now, but it's also open to everyone.
"If you want to come and enjoy the club, you can become a member and pay your dues, attend the meetings, become involved as a volunteer.
"Or you can come and just enjoy the atmosphere with your friends, have the cheapest drinks in Steveston together with the largest dance floor in the Steveston," said Marshall.
ANAF 284 hosts weekly activities including jam sessions on Wednesdays, darts and line dancing on Thursdays, meat draws on Fridays and Sundays and live music performances on Saturdays.
Community members also like to pop in with their crib boards or chess sets, Marshall added.
One of the few Steveston joints to enjoy live music
With the impending closure of the Buck & Ear Bar & Grill, ANAF 284 will be the only remaining spot in Steveston where community members can enjoy live music regularly.
The decision to offer live music was based on demand from members, Marshall explained, and the club makes sure to include all genres to cater to diverse interests.
"People like to go out on a Saturday night and dance, right? But you don't want to hear the same thing every single week," she said.
Since the Wednesday jam sessions began about a year ago, ANAF 284 has featured musicians from all over the Lower Mainland, as well as locals from Steveston.
"We're trying to make it as open and welcoming for anyone with those musical skills to come in and showcase your skills," Marshall told the Richmond News.
In fact, one of ANAF's regular performers was a band formed during a jam session after a jam host threw them together.
"We have guys that are coming in that are like 75, and we have guys coming in that are 20. So we're capturing all age ranges as well for the musicians," said Marshall.
"And for the patrons coming in, dancing and stuff as well. We're getting a lot more younger, more engaged demographic with people coming in now that we've opened the club to everyone."
A gathering space for the community
Inclusion is the keyword for ANAF 284, and it's proactively expanding its social media presence in the hopes of getting the word out so more community members can make use of its space.
"We have the full-service kitchen, we have the full-service bar and we host a variety of different events," said Marshall.
Events hosted at ANAF 284 include last year's antique appraisal, fundraisers, celebrations of life, birthday parties, craft fairs and meetings for local clubs.
Apart from providing a meeting space for local groups, the veterans club is also dedicated to raising funds for local causes through regular meat draws and bottle deposit refunds.
Causes that received donations in the past include Little League and Richmond schools, as well as organizations outside of Richmond such as the BC Children's Hospital and Ronald McDonald House.
As well, ANAF 284 has helped train service dogs that benefit individuals suffering from PTSD.
Like many veterans clubs across the country, Marshall said ANAF 284 faces the "hugest obstacle" of a hefty property tax bill. Last year, the News reported that the club was $50,000 in tax arrears and sought relief from city council.
The commitment to keeping costs low and holding regular events for the community add to the challenges of keeping the club up and running, and more visibility and patrons could help, Marshall told the News.
"What we're doing is for the betterment of the community as a whole. Whether it's the kids, whether it's medical or mental health issues...
"We're trying to erase the conception that we're a bunch of 70-year-olds all sitting around here, drinking our beer and smoking cigarettes, which is exactly what it was back in the 70's," she said.
"But it's not what the Army and Navy represents today."
For community members wishing to learn more about ANAF 284, the veterans club is hosting a Western BBQ event featuring a Western music cover band on Aug. 10 and all are welcome to attend.
- with files from Maria Rantanen
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