By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

The American Legion Alan Seeger Post 2 in Mexico City — the oldest post outside the United States — is set to reopen on Friday, Oct. 22, with a brand new Texas barbeque menu and major interior renovations that were done during its 18-month shutdown due to the covid-19 pandemic.

The new menu will include some of the post’s most popular dishes, such as its piled-high-with-trimmings hamburgers and fresh-cut fries, along with a range of new Texas favorites, like grilled meats and brisket sandwiches.

On opening day, the legion will offer a sampling of the new dishes from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m.

“We want to start having regular activities, such as bingo nights and possibly international food nights,” said Alan Seeger Post 2 Commander Michael Brennan, as he showed off the brightly renovated premises to Pulse News Mexico.

“We also want to expand our membership, which is open to all former and active U.S. service personnel.”

Brennan likewise said that the post will offer associate memberships to non-veterans.

Among the other events that the post is planning to organize is a Veterans Day luncheon on Nov. 11 and a Halloween party, Brennan said.

Named after the Mexican-born American poet Alan Seeger, who volunteered for the French Foreign Legion and was killed at the battle of the Somme in 1916, Post 2 was founded by a handful of World War I vets in 1930, and is one of the oldest surviving American Legion posts worldwide.

The American Legion is a veterans organization that was chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1919 to provide camaraderie and mutual support for former military personnel.

It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and has nearly 3 million members in more than 14,000 posts worldwide.

The American Legion Alan Seeger Post 2 is located at Celaya 25 in Mexico City’s Colonia Condesa (tel: 55-5564-4490). It is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Its webpage is currently being renovated, but the post can be reached through email at amlcdmex@outlook.com