New Carlisle’s American Legion Post 286 held a soup cook-off this weekend as part of the club’s renewed focus on increasing membership. With a new social media campaign and opening to the public each week, the post is entertaining many different methods of adding new members.

Saturday’s Vegetable Soup Cook-off was one of the club’s monthly soup contests, with the winner taking away an honorary ladle and half of the contest’s entry fees. This weekend’s initiative was successful, as the winner of the vegetable soup contest became one of the post’s newest members, along with two of his friends.

Darren Johnson of New Carlisle took the top honors with his smoky vegetable soup—a recipe he cooked over an open flame all day. Johnson said he spent the morning outside in the elements as he cooked the soup in a kettle suspended by a tripod over a fire. He said the recipe was the result of more than 30 years’ worth of his family traditions.

Johnson said that he and his friends saw the American Legion’s post on Facebook about the soup cook-off only the night before, and decided to enter the contest at the last minute.

Carol Trissle and Mary Davis tied for second place amid the seven entries. Next month, on February 28, the Legion will hold another soup cook-off, this time with ham and beans as the selected soup. The cook-offs are open to the public, and the fees are $5 to enter. Judging tickets may also be purchased for $5, allowing the buyer to cast a vote in the contest, as well as partake of eating as many bowls of the other entries as they desire.

Jacque Mullin is new to New Carlisle’s American Legion, having moved here from the East Coast within the past year, but said that this post’s members have truly welcomed her as one of their own. Mullin is one of the driving forces behind the post’s renewed membership initiative, saying she believes that the club has much to offer the community in terms of entertainment and goodwill.

Mullin moved here about a year ago from Maryland, and said she contacted Post 286 in search of employment and connections in her new community. She said she wasn’t going to transfer her Legion membership to the New Carlisle post, but immediately changed her mind when she witnessed the genuine kindness and compassion of its members.

“Everyone went out of their way to make me feel at home,” she said, noting that other members have stepped up to help her transition to her new town.

She said that she’s received many offers from members who said they would plow her winding driveway during winter storms.

“They say they’ll come take care of me, and when I say ‘let me pay you,’ they won’t take it,” Mullin said. “People around here are just so, so nice.”

Mullin’s enthusiasm was undeniable as she discussed methods of bringing in new members to the post, saying the soup cook-offs were just one attempt.

“I’m the one always bugging people to get something going out here,” she said.

The American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans’ organization, with more than two million members in 14,000 posts worldwide. The New Carlisle post is very active in contributing to the community, and assisted countless families and organizations last year alone. Post 286 members saw to it that 16 local families had a merry Christmas through generous donations, and members also were active in donating to local food banks, Tecumseh’s JROTC, and other charitable contributions. The club also hosts one of the community’s favorite summertime events—performing the state’s largest flag retirement ceremony each June. The massive flames and smoke can be seen from miles around, and crowds delight in the dazzling aerial performance of skydivers who leap from a plane with enormous American Flags on their backs.

The club is open to the public on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as during their monthly Steak and Shrimp Dinners.

Call the Post at 845-0219 for more information on event schedules.