September 10, 2025
Photographs by Wendy Carlson
By Wendy Carlson
As the saying goes, food brings people together. Nowhere is this more true than at Morgan-Weir American Legion Post 27 in Litchfield on a Wednesday evening—where you don’t have to be a veteran to dine on meals like fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, and rolls. More and more these largely male bastions are becoming a place for people in the community to meet and connect.
The letterboard sign out front of the Litchfield post welcomes non-members to weekly dinners; by 5:30 pm the parking lot is jam packed. One of the best no-fuss meal deals in town, these gatherings have also become a way for the organization to open its doors to the community. American Legions as well as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) posts throughout the county have long had a bit of an image problem, says Legion Post 27 president Gary Gillman. Some operate out of nondescript buildings—which, when viewed roadside, often don’t feel inviting.
“Everybody thought this was a smoky old men’s club. The Wednesday dinners help ease that stigma,” he says.
Non-members pay $15, seniors and members pay $10 for sit-down or takeout dinners. In the lounge downstairs, the line to the buffet table snakes past the pool table, the fireplace, and then around a small bar, where alcohol prices are from the ’90s. Bottled beers sell for $4, cocktails are $6. The walls are covered with war memorabilia commemorating local veterans; in one corner, a velvet rope cordons off a small table set for one, meant to symbolize POWs and MIAs missing from the Legion’s ranks.
The post was founded in 1919, and named for Frank Morgan and James Weir, both of whom died fighting in World War I, according to Gillman, who also serves as head chef and “Mr. Fix It and Chief Lawn Mower.”
Most Wednesdays, he can be found in the kitchen juggling trays of food along with a crew of volunteers. Above the lounge, there is a meeting room where weekly community line dancing lessons, karaoke, and corn hole competitions are held. The weekly dinners and paid activities help raise money for a planned $1 million renovation to the aging structure, which was built in 1938 to house the Italian American Society.
They also serve the Legion’s broader mission of building its membership, which includes sons of veterans and a women’s auxiliary. Nationally, membership both in the American Legion and VFW have declined with the passing of older veterans, particularly those who served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. The challenge, Gillman says, is attracting veterans from recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have left more than 1 million veterans.
Community dinners are one way—along with the annual clambake, flag retirement service, Memorial Day parade, and veteran ceremonies. Other posts, like the VFW Couch-Pipa Post 6851 in North Canaan, also feature public events, including summer barbecues, a car show, and tours of its museum of military memorabilia.
So far, the camaraderie of sharing meals has been effective. The Legion’s membership is up, and the renovation is now slated for September. It will include installing an elevator and handicap accessible bathrooms for older veterans—as well as a fresh facade to attract new members.
