Chicken Shack named for area veteran

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The American Legion Chicken Shack on the Van Wert County Fairgrounds has a new name to go along with its new mission.

On Thursday, the Van Wert County Veterans Service Office joined with five generations of local veteran Arnold Baker’s family to dedicate the former Chicken Shack building the Arnold C. Baker Veteran Service Center.

County Veterans Service Officer Barry Johns, who said his office was working with Legion Post 178 to provide a building on the fairgrounds exclusively for military veterans, said naming the building for Baker, a longtime Veterans Service Office board member, was a way to repurpose it now that fried chicken was no longer being sold there.

“The ‘Chicken Shack’ named wasn’t working anymore, because it’s no longer a chicken shack,” Johns said, adding that he could not think of anyone more deserving of having the building named in his honor than Baker, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in World War II from November 30, 1943, until he was honorably discharged on February 8, 1946.

Baker, a Veterans Service Office board member since June 1, 2008, was also one of the original charter members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5803 in Van Wert, as well as a member of Legion Post 178 and Amvets Post 698 in Middle Point.  

“Everyone knew who Arnie was,” Johns said.

In addition to renaming the former Chicken Shack building, the veterans service officer also talked about this year’s Veterans Day event held during the Van Wert County Fair.

This year, veterans will be able to eat a free meal prepared by Gibson’s BBQ of Convoy at 1 p.m. at the west end of the Grandstand during horse racing. In addition to a presentation by Ohio Department of Veterans Services Director Deborah Ashenhurst, Shelby County Veterans Service Officer Ed Ball will hold an information session at the Baker Center on Blue Water Navy veterans of the Vietnam War and Agent Orange claims.

The traditional ham and bean soup meal will be served at the center at 5 p.m. on Veterans Day, which is Thursday of the fair, while food will also be served at the center during fair week.