The VFW Post 2427 in Tomball opened Oct. 20, 1940, serving 16 veterans of foreign wars in the area. The post now has 408 members.

"Back then, there were only World War I veterans," said Aaron Isaac, quartermaster for the post who handles the finances there.

The post was first located in a small building off Alice Road. A new post was built next to the original structure to include a hall that can fit up to 600 people. A "bunker" with pool tables, a bar and shuffleboard, and a back room that can seat 50 to 60 people, was later added.

During its 73 years in Tomball, the post has served as a gathering spot for many veterans and continues to this day to be a meeting place for them.

"It's a place to go for veterans," said Isaac, who served in the Army for 30 years, including the Bosnia war. "You can be comfortable here."

In addition, the post provides community support, including a recent donation of $300 to a Magnolia area softball team.

"We don't have much money, but we give what we can," Isaac said. "We do things like that to help the community."

The post also helps under served veterans or those in need by donating items, such as clothing and furniture, directly to veterans and donating gift cards to those in need of food. Grocery chains donate gift cards to the VFW through various events.

"The stores give us gift cards in $50 increments, and we hand them out as we see the need," Isaac said. "If someone is in need, we don't have a lot of money, but we have gift cards."

The VFW post raises its money to operate in part from annual dues. However, half of its members are lifetime members and no longer pay annual dues. The VFW also raises money through weekly bingo at the post at 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The bingo is open to the public.

In addition, the VFW holds dances open to the entire community on the first Saturdays of the month and the group rents its hall for other functions.

Geri Lakey, a Magnolia resident and secretary at the post, has been going to the VFW post in Tomball for dances since she was younger, she said. She attended dances with her parents frequently in the 1970s when she lived in Northwest Houston. Later, she attended dances at the post with her own children.

"My kids learned how to two-step here," she said. "There are a lot of memories here."

Lakey works at the post to honor her husband, Danny Lakey, a Purple Heart recipient, who died two years ago.

"He loved it here," she said. "It was his home away from home."

VFW Post 2427

14408 Alice Road, Tomball 281-351-2427

www.vfwpost2427.org