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After two years of construction, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4388 in Red Level is set to unveil its new building at a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, May 6, at noon.

The original VFW building was lost due to a Thanksgiving Day fire a few years ago.

“We encourage all veterans, friends, and families to come out and fellowship. We have been struggling since the fire occurred two years ago but are looking forward to the opening of our new building. The entire VFW is excited to be back, and we hope to get the word out to the community we are back open,” Senior Vice Commander Michael Wright said. “There has been a lot of hard work put in by these veterans. They have put their own money out of pocket, blood, sweat, and tears into seeing this building come back together,” Commander Tom Stephens added.

The VFW is the only one located in Covington County and is a non-smoking facility occupying 5,000 square feet. There are several activities planned for the grand opening.

Lynn Anderson will have a fish fry at 1 p.m. followed by karaoke from 2 until 6 p.m. Menu selections include catfish, hush puppies, coleslaw, baked beans, French fries, chicken strips, rolls, and desserts. There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 drawing, and door prizes available.

“We will probably try to cut a piece of ribbon with our veterans and their families to celebrate our opening to the community. This has been a long journey for us, but we are happy to be back in full force,” Wright stated.

The former VFW building was a complete loss after the fire including all memorabilia.

“We had to deal with insurance and other issues before the final contractor built the building. Members have been helping with several projects during the construction process inside. It took a while to put the pieces in place, but this is something we are very proud of and look forward to showing the community. We were wondering if we would ever finish, but the end result is that we have the doors open. Our post will be really nice,” Stephens said.

Hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from noon until 9 p.m.

VFW Post 4388 is located at 6841 Oglesby Road in Red Level. For more information visit Redlevel Vfwpost on Facebook or call Stephens at 334-542-6013 or Wright at 334-343-5395.