Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
The question of the future of Havre’s veterans club may be answered, with a pair of local residents taking over its management and assuming ownership of the business and building effective July 1. “We’re taking over the place to help get this club back on its feet,” Al Seely said Wednesday. Seely and Roy Christenson said they have taken over the management of Havre’s VFW Club, which they are running for the Havre Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 497 and will manage it until they take over as owners this summer. Seely said that, other than he and his business partner trying to do things to raise community involvement in the club and bring customers back, nothing has changed. He and Christenson want the local VFW post as well as the local Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and their auxiliaries to continue to use the facility. “We’re not trying to throw them out of here,” he said. “It’s still their club. “We’re veterans, too,” he added. The issue of the future of the Havre VFW Club came to the forefront last year when Havre Mayor Bob Rice, a former post commandeer and member of its finance committee, made a call to the community to support the veterans club. Rice said that the mortgage the VFW had on the building, including financing for roof repairs and other updates, along with increasing taxes and utilities had become more than Post 497 could afford with the business the club was seeing. The mortgage at that time was $180,000, Rice said. Seely and Christenson declined to comment on what was the final price for the building and business, although Christenson said the initial asking price was $497,000 they were able to “dicker it down,” he added. Post Commander Bill Bilger said Wednesday he is hopeFul that Seely and Christenson will be able to turn the club around and that the VFW will continue to hold its events there. He said Seely and Christenson have some good ideas on how to bring back business and that the VFW will help them in any way possible. He said only time will tell if the new management will bring in more business. “It just depends if they can get the people to come in. A change of management usually does,” Bilger said. “They’re ambitious. They’re getting some good ideas and starting to implement them.” Seely and Christenson, both lifetime VFW members and both former bar owners, said they have ideas on how to bring customers in. “We’ve got a lot of ideas, we’ve just got to start,” Christenson said. They also said they wanted to hear any ideas people have for things the club should do. “Bring ’em in; we’ll welcome it,” Christenson said. Seely later re-emphasized that point. “Were looking for ideas and suggestions to help this club get back on its feet,” he said. The two said they are going to try to bring back many regular functions that have dwindled at the club, including hosting wedding receptions, banquets and other events and having live music “We’re going to try to have country music here pretty regular,” Christenson said. “We want to get those things back,” Seely said. “We want (people) to come in and feel at home,” Christenson added. The two want to bring some new ideas as well as bringing back and continuing other events, and they want to know what people would like to see, they said. Some of the events they said they would like the club to sponsor include car shows and possibly hunting events, as well as bringing back things like square dancing. They also want to revive interest in events such as the City Dart League, and possibly setting up a putting green to hold competitions or tournaments. “Anything we can think of that will have people walk in,” Christenson said. Work has started already on sprucing the place up, with a complete cleanup and minor repair work under way. “So far, it’s a complete clean out, stem to stern,” Seely said. The two, both 82, have a long history with the VFW and with bar ownerships including work for the club. Seely made, starting in the 1980s, a wooden sign hanging on the wall of the club. He said he bought the wood, sanded it, applied decals and painted the lettering. A member of the Havre post, Seely is a Navy veteran who served in the Pacific. “It’s not the price you pay to be a member; it’s the price you pay to be eligible.” Christenson is a veteran of the Army Signal Corps who was stationed in Korea. He is a member of the Glasgow VFW post, he said. Christenson said he used to own the Buckhorn Bar in Wheeler starting in the late 1960s until he sold it in 1971. Seely owned the Palace Bar in Hinsdale at one time, and owned the Highball in Havre, now the location of Shamrock Bar and Casino. The two didn’t say for sure they thought that experience would help them manage their new venture. “It’s a long way back,” Christenson said. “Put it this way: sort of,” Seely said. “We’re a little out of date,” Christenson added. “Things have changed.”
