While the Stay at Home Festival is the headline event for the Dolon-Jones-Martino American Legion Post 304 in Jim Thorpe, it is far from its only activity each year.

Now in its 98th year in the Jim Thorpe area, the legion continues to honor fallen comrades, help active duty military, veterans and their families, sponsor community events, and promote children and youth programs in the community.On the Sunday before and on Memorial Day each year, legion members perform over 15 different honor guard services with rifles salutes at every cemetery and war memorial in the Jim Thorpe and Albrightsville area."We provide honor guards with rifles for the funeral services of the approximately 25 - 35 veterans who are laid to rest here in our area each year," said Keith McQuait, commander. "Recently, I came across a situation right here in Pennsylvania that sickened me. A 98-year-old World War II veteran and lifelong Boy Scout leader was laid to rest without an honor guard with rifles. There just aren't enough volunteers in that area left to do it. Very sad indeed."McQuait said Jim Thorpe's Legion is fortunate to still have enough people left who care and are willing, but the numbers are shrinking dramatically. A lot of its honor guard members are more than 80 years old.In May each year, the Legion hosts the Carbon County Special Kids Fishing Derby. It will be May 11-12 in 2017."We have been doing this for over 60 years now," McQuait said. "We stock the Silk Mill Run in the Germantown grove with over 1,500 trout. Every special needs child in Carbon County gets a day out of school to come and enjoy a day of fishing and fun. Two days and over 80 volunteers are needed to help the more than children who come out. This is primarily funded by the money raised during the Stay at Home Festival."The Carbon County Monarchs, an American Legion baseball team, is also sponsored by the local post."We also sponsor children in our area and send them to compete in the American Legion state and national oratorical and essay contests," McQuait said. "We, and the American Legion Auxiliary, also provide several scholarships directly to high school students graduating from the Jim Thorpe Area High School."Legion membership is dwindling, McQuait added. Anyone who has served in the military since 1991 is eligible to join."In theory, there are more veterans eligible to join the American Legion today than at any other time in history," he said. "The younger generations are just not joining up and volunteering. They just don't know or just don't care. It's hard to say exactly what it is. In any case we desperately need them to get involved or the American Legion will cease to exist. Also, a lot of people who have a family member who served are eligible to join in the Sons of the American Legion or the American Legion (Ladies) Auxiliary. Probably, 7 out of 10 people you meet are eligible for one of these types of memberships."