Ouer the Edge © SAMANTHA FARROW ARTS EDITOR The Royal Canadian Legion was es- tablished in 1925 as a non-profit ex- services organization. It is usually fre- quented by old war veterans, a place for them to gather. Respect in the Le- gion for the vets is high. After all, these men fought in wars for our freedom. There are rules in all of the Legions across Canada; no hats, no swearing and no fighting. Fighting will get you barred for life. When one thinks of the Legion, what is the first thing that comes to mind? In my home town of Smith- ers, that would be, “Party,”.... yes, at the Legion. It used to be that a night out involved going to the Twin, or the Garage, as is it’s formal name. Any- one who has ever spent at night out in Smithers, getting zoo-ed, knows of this notorious bar. It’s dark, it’s dingy, but it was a hell of a lot of fun. I have had many great nights at the Twin; it has Dexter, SAMANTHA FARROW ARTS EDITOR Ahh, Dexter. What can I say about this creepily ingenious show? For those of you who have been living under a rock and have not caught an episode of Dexter on Showtime, this is a wicked show. The premise? A blood spatter analysis for Miami Metro PD who is a serial killer of serial killers. The show is based off of the book series of the same title, written by Jeff Lindsay. The main character, Dex- ter Morgan, played by Michael C Hall, spends his spare time dissecting the dregs of society; known serial killers who have gotten off on technicalities. He finds most his intended victims by going through back cases, which he has access to because of his profes- sion. His skills was honed by his now dead (not because of Dexter) adoptive father, Harry Morgan, who was also a police officer. Morgan adopted Dex- ter after Dexter’s mother was brutally murdered. Dexter started exhibiting nasty tendency at a young age to work out the childhood issue of his mother’s death, which usually involved tortur- ing neighbourhood pets. After confess- ing the urge to practice on more than just pets as he got a little older, Harry September 30 ,2009 Party Time...at the Legion? been the popular night spot in Smithers for many years. However, the Twin has recently undergone some renovations that make it not so Twin-like. Whether or not that has anything to do with it’s drop in popularity, I am not sure. One thing is for sure, the new place to be on a Friday night in Smithers is definitely the Legion. Karaoke Fridays at the Le- gion; when I first started going any time I was home, it was not very full. I had a couple of friends who liked karaoke so I went with them; that was last February. While at home this spring and summer, I noticed that Fri- day nights had the Legion just hoping with people of all ages. When I was there in July, the lady at the bar in- formed me that a certain percent of the proceeds from liquor sales went back into supporting the Legion, so while I was drinking, I was also being charit- able. This appealed to my social work nature. Speaking of drinks, drinks in a Legion are usually cheaper than at any other bar. They also have drink specials, where certain drinks are even cheaper than usual. Recently, my good buddy became the manager at the Legion in Smithers (no, I don’t get free drinks, it’s against policy and he’s cheap). He has even more plans to keep the Legion hoping; poker night, theme night par- ties, Legion Idol. By increasing popu- larity, he is also increasing revenue for this non-profit establishment. Although he holds a paid position, everyone else there is a volunteer, from the bartend- ers, to the bouncers, and the DJ. All Legions have memberships available. Usually, in order to be in the Legion, you must have a member sign you in. Warped and Wonderful encourages Dexter to the area of serial killers, people who deserved to die tor- turously. In the series, Dexter, who claims he has no emotion for others, has a girlfriend, Rita, who has two children and an abusive ex. Rita is all part of Dexter front to appear normal to others. As well as Rita, Dexter is in frequent contact with his adoptive sis- ter, Deborah, who is also a cop, stating if he were to experience feelings like others, he would probably love Deb, as he affectionately calls her... or maybe not so affectionately, given that Dex- ter self view is that of a psychopath. Between killing serial killers, working for the police, trying to appear normal, and getting into all kinds of uncomfort- able situations, including kidnapping a fellow officer who is on to Dexter and is then blown up by a crazy woman who is in love with Dexter, to having his dumping ground discovered, Dex- ter goes through many situations that would make normal people sweat. You can catch Dexter on Showtime on Sunday nights at 9, it’s currently going into it’s fourth season. If you want to see Seasons 1-3, either download them, or by the series on DVD. This is one series that is unique, and creepy, from the intro to the end credits. Smithers is pretty lax about this, although there is talk of charging cover to non-members. I also found that dur- ing the week, while visiting my buddy at work, the place is filled with very interesting people, the old timers. Okay, ya, I know, what’s cool about seniors? Go to the local Legion and find out. I heard many interesting tales, and they love the company. Most of these men, and women, are older and their family is gone, and so all they have left is each other. It is interesting to watch the dynamics between these old comrades. It’s a place for them to go to connect with others of the same age. Many of us don’t realize how lonely it can for these people, even if they have family. We don’t understand what they went through. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t willing to share their stories and they love having an audience for these tales. I have yet to check out the Legion in Prince George. I have no idea if it’s as popular as the one in Smithers. I am going to make a guess that it’s not; if you’re curious, or if you have an older relative who is a member, I would highly recommend check- ing it out. After all, drinking for a cause is better than just drink- ing for the sake of drinking. Not only that, but it’s also an awe- some way to get a history lesson from people who participated in the wars. A word of advice if you do check out the Legion; have respect for the rules; remember, Ats and Culture