Residents Invited to the Grand Reopening of the Legion: Hosted by Joe Mantegna
This article was written by Sue Pascoe and was first published in Circling the News.
If you have walked by the Ronald Reagan Palisades Post 283, next to the Post Office, and always wondered how it looked on the inside, now is your chance.
Tomorrow, Saturday, January 28, from 2 to 6 p.m. a grand reopening and naming ceremony will take place at 15247 La Cruz Drive. The ceremony will be held on the street and in the building located next to the Post Office. In anticipation of the event, the street will be closed from noon until 6 p.m.
The official ribbon cutting will be held at 3 p.m. and all residents are welcomed, one does not have to be associated with the Legion to attend.
After a call to order by Palisades resident and Legion Commander Jim Cragg, the Pledge of Allegiance by Troop 223 Girls, and the singing of the National Anthem, emcee Joe Mantegna will host the program.
Joe Mantegna
An award-winning actor, Mantegna, made his acting debut in 1969 Chicago production of Hair and debuted in Working on Broadway in 1978.
Mantegna started working with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Mamet and earned a Tony Award and a Joseph Jefferson Award for playing Richard Roma in Glengarry Glen Ross.
From 1991 to present, he has voiced the part of Fat Tony on The Simpsons. In 2007-2020, starred in the television show Criminal Minds.
His film career includes House of Games (1987) and Things Change (1988), both written by Mamet. He and his Things Change co-star Don Ameche received the Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival.
In 2011, Mantegna received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Since 2006, he has co-narrated the National Memorial Day Concert on the Mall in Washington D.C. with actor Gary Sinise.
As host, Mantegna will introduce the Reagan Family, and a spokesperson will comment about the renaming of American Legion Post 283 to the Ronald Reagan Palisades Post 283. The former President of the United States, Ronald Reagan was a member of Post 283, having transferred from the Hollywood Post in 1980.
The Reagans lived in Pacific Palisades on San Onofre Drive from 1956 to 1981, when they moved to Washington, D.C.
There will be a ribbon cutting, and a bagpiper will lead guests into the building, where people will be able to view the facility. There will be refreshments.
The building, which was constructed in 1965, underwent a renovation, starting in March 2022 to update the lighting, the bathrooms and make the facility ADA accessible. Commander Cragg said, “Our goal is to reconnect with more of our neighbors and to provide a comfortable, friendly atmosphere.”
Jim Cragg (right) received a 2022 Community Council Sparkplug award presented by Kevin Niles.