Things are quieter these days over at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

Since the summer, Legion Branch 124 has been busy cleaning up and assessing the damage of a major flood that hit its building on King Street in early August.

Now, with Remembrance Day coming up next week, the Legion is moving full steam ahead to plan the town’s annual commemoration events on Nov. 11 in Old Town and Queenston and running its poppy distribution campaign — with the organizers working out of a trailer in the Legion parking lot while its main floor remains unusable.

While the situation doesn’t make things easier, Legion board member Chrystal Haverstock says it hasn’t halted their plans.

“We’re still doing all the stuff the Legion does at poppy time, even though we don’t have an operational building per se.”

Haverstock had the idea to bring the trailer around the time the poppy campaign was starting (as of this year, poppy distribution and donation collection in Canada began Oct. 24, instead of Oct. 31 as in years prior).

On Aug. 2, a massive rainstorm caused significant flooding in parts of Niagara-on-the-Lake, including Branch 124. Its ground level was destroyed by more than a foot of water.

After the water receded, ServiceMaster came in to clean up: damaged drywall was removed, the flooring was taken out and the bar is gone. Restoration work will begin once the Legion’s insurer completes its damages evaluation.

“We mostly have an empty shell now,” Haverstock said. “The furnace and water heater have been replaced and all the materials for disposal have been removed from the clubroom. The last phase of the tear-down will be the cleaning of the entire main floor.”

Since then, the Legion has used the second floor to continue its daily operations, but on the whole, the building is closed the public.

Bringing the trailer in, however, has been helpful, Haverstock said: the Legion’s “office” is now more accessible. Pople are able to drop by and see them, where they previously would’ve had to walk across the damaged main floor and climb upstairs.

Now, the Legion’s mainly using the upstairs floor to store its poppy wreaths, which will be part of the Nov. 11 commemorations.

“We’re actually doing better than you’d think,” she said. “I’d say we’re pretty organized with the challenges at hand, doing better than I thought.”

As with years past, on Nov. 11, the Old Town ceremony will be held at the Queen Street cenotaph, beginning with the traditional parade of legionnaires and other men and women in uniform on Queen Street.

Haverstock said re-enactors should also be present at this year’s parade, including Polish re-enactors from the First World War, commemorating the history of Polish  soldiers who trained at Camp Kościuszko in Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1917 to 1919.

Following the parade on Queen Street, everyone will gather in front of the clock tower cenotaph on Queen Street for the beginning of the ceremony, including a two-minute moment of silence at 11 a.m., followed by the laying of the poppy wreaths at the foot of the cenotaph.

Normally, participants each year would take a break with food and refreshments at the Legion before continuing with the Queenston ceremony, but with the building currently closed, they will instead be meeting at the NOTL Community Centre.

Then, at 1 p.m., the day of commemoration continues with a gathering at the Niagara Township Cenotaph in Queenston, dedicated to the men of the community who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War.

While the logistics of the poppy distribution and Remembrance Day plans may feel a lot different for Legion members this year, the significance of this time of year hasn’t changed.

“Niagara-on-the-Lake is a war town,” Haverstock said. “Many people that fought and perished through the three wars are commemorated on that cenotaph, and the families still live in town. They’re honouring their family members.”

zahraa@niagaranow.com