American Legion Convention at Cedar Point, 1934

The sixteenth annual convention of the American Legion, Department of Ohio, was held in Sandusky, Ohio from August 18 to August 20, 1934. The Hotel Breakers was the headquarters for the American Legion convention, and meetings were held at the Convention Hall at Cedar Point.

Other conventions were held in Sandusky at the same time. The American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Ohio, had their headquarters at the Hotel Cedars at Cedar Point, and meetings were held at Cedar Point’s Coliseum. Other groups which convened were the Grande Voiture D’Ohio, Le Societe Des Quarante Hommes et Huit Chevaux, La Boutique Des Huit Chapeaux et Quarante Femmes, and the National Organization of American Legion Nurses. Each of the separate organizations held meetings, had speeches, special music, and reports from various committees.

The headline of the August 19, 1934 issue of the Sandusky Register read, “American Legion ‘Takes’ Sandusky.” An article on the front page reported that twelve thousand Legionnaires were in Sandusky and Cedar Point. Several more thousand former U.S.  service men and their families were expected for the parade held on Monday afternoon. An article in the August 21, 1934 Register stated that 60,000 individuals witnessed the American Legion parade, led by Colonel Robert L. Denig of the U.S. Marine Corps.

The parade passed through 34 city blocks of Sandusky. Both the parade and the American Legion Convention had been quite successful. The convention in 1934 was the first American Legion Convention held in Ohio since the Prohibition era, and record liquor sales in Sandusky were recorded. Local merchants also fared well with the influx of tourists to Sandusky. Many special events were held in the area from August 18 to August 20, 1934, including yacht races, a water carnival, a golf tournament, and reunions of veterans associations.

Visit the Sandusky Library to view the commemorative program from the 1934 American Legion held in Sandusky, or to read newspaper accounts of the 1934 convention featured in the Sandusky Register and Sandusky Star Journal, now on microfilm.