Arts & Music Festival To Support Building Housing For Homeless Vets In Westfield

WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield American Legion Arts & Music Festival is hosting a night out to support its proposal to build a new hall with 22 units of housing for at-risk veterans in Westfield.

The event on Saturday, April 29 will be held at the Westfield National Guard Armory at 500 Rahway Ave. in Westfield from 6 to 10 p.m.

Live music with three bands including local Westfied band Better Late, Hoboken's Undercover and NJ The Counterfeiters will perform.

The night will also include more than 40 Artisans selling their artwork, photography and crafts. And there will be 30 brands pouring unlimited beer, wine, and liquor tastings as well as plenty of food trucks with a variety of tastes.

Tickets are $20 for general admission. For tickets and more information click here.

All proceeds go to the rebuilding of the Westfield American Legion Hall including 22 units for homeless veterans, a 3,000 square foot banquet hall for rental as well as facilities for the veterans.

The Legion, located at 1003 North Ave. West, was founded by Westfield veterans of World War I and was named after war hero Martin Wallberg — the son of a Westfield resident who was killed in action while carrying an American flag over the top of Passchendaele Hill in Belgium.

The American Legion was inspired by a group that helped build a similar housing facility for veterans in Hoboken last year. According to the Legion, this facility has been "thriving for the last three years after rebuilding their hall, and adding six units for at-risk veterans that have been living there since the opening."

The American Legion has developed a plan to replace its current facility in Westfield with a sustainable, state-of-the-art facility with a 3,000-square-foot banquet hall for Westfield residents rent out for events, 22 units of housing for at-risk veterans, a new cantina for members and new offices for Veterans Affairs. Read More: Housing Development For At-Risk Veterans Proposed In Westfield

The facility will also qualify for a full-time staff member from the VA to assist veterans with services including resume building, job search as well as various counseling that is needed.

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