Sparta's ‘new’ VFW building shines

BY AMY BATE
SPARTA- Last year, the township mayor reportedly said that the building at 66 Main Street housing Sparta VFW Post 7248 was in sorry shape and should be torn down and replaced with an underground parking garage.
Former Mayor Gerry Murphy’s remarks, reportedly made at a Planning Board meeting last autumn, made VFW members more determined than ever to raise the money and the support to renovate their building. The fundraising efforts and hard work have paid off.
“We are so grateful to all our donors, volunteers and community members who made all of this possible,” said Post Commander Peter Litchfield.
The effort to save and upgrade the building, which has stood at the site since 1947, began in earnest last August, when Litchfield and fellow members held a fundraiser at the Mohawk House that was attended by some 600 people and raised over $35,000.
Murphy remarks were reported in October and VFW members saw fit to enlarge the words, print and frame them and hang them on a wall in the bar. They read:
“The VFW is a sorry building that used to be a garage, the old ambulance building. Trying to fix it is throwing good money after bad… If we knocked down the VFW maybe we could put in underground parking…”
Murphy, who is a veteran and one of the post’s 77 members, later denied he made the statement but the inspiring quotation was on the wall and will stay there, members say, for at least a year.
“We love Gerry and we always forgive. But you’ve got to take your medicine,” Deputy Commander John Finkeldie told the Sparta Independent last year.
The renovations have been good medicine for the building. The bar was completely cleaned, organized and stocked and now offers amenities such as a jukebox, popcorn maker and an automated machine that dispenses shots of Jaegermeister, as well as a dart board and flat screen TV. There are two bathrooms that were beautifully redone with new fixtures, granite countertops and topped off with custom-made wooden sliding barnlike doors.
Enter the banquet hall and the bright, white walls and coffered ceiling are the perfect setting for any event. There is all new flooring and carpeting throughout the entire venue, along with a restored, handicapped-accessible entranceway.
Beyond the banquet hall is another large, open room with renovations planned to turn it into a game room/meeting area, complete with a slate pool table that was donated by a member of the community.
The last room slated for a makeover is a concrete-block garage (where the Sparta ambulances used to call home) that may become another bar or kitchen area that will have open access to the patio for outside entertainment.
The renovations were made possible by several factors. In October, there was a motorcycle ride benefit which raised about $1200. Soon after, the Mohawk House and NJ’s own band The Nerds also hosted a benefit in which all proceeds went directly to the VFW. The Junior Women’s Club’s Festival of Trees donated about $4300 and some anonymous donors added to the fund and the renovations went forward.
The “new” VFW has already hosted some successful events, including a “Paint & Sip”, which is a fun new trend where people bring appetizers and drink wine while painting a picture on a canvas. Commander Litchfield’s lovely painting of a lone tree is proudly displayed behind the bar.
“It’s a nice community environment and everyone is welcome here,” said Pauline Brewer, mother of a Marine veteran and volunteer/member of the VFW. “The Paint & Sip event flowed so easily and everyone had a great time. We are looking forward to having many more events like this in the future.”
The VFW is now not only a perfect venue for events but also a space where Boy Scouts, Sparta Football, Little League, LaCrosse and other community groups currently hold their meetings.
“We are here to serve the public,” Litchfield said. He noted that VFW volunteers and Trout Unlimited, which was one of several groups that helped with the renovations, joined forces again to recently plant 800 trees at Sparta Glen, where the ground had been eroded years ago by a flood.
The Post also announced that, starting with the township’s upcoming Summer Concert Series, the VFW will host a pre-concert barbecue, offering food and drink for about $9 per person.
If you go to any event at the VFW, take a look at the wall behind the bar, where the former mayor’s words speak more loudly than ever.