Growing the crowd

Polo Park

West End

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This article was published 04/10/2023 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If you build it, they will come…

That’s the hope of Brad Cartman, general manager of the Anavets John Osborn V.C. Unit No. 1, located at 300-1395 Ellice Ave., who is hoping to bring in new clientele and expand the venue’s target audience by booking edgy live bands in the West End branch of the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada (known as Anavets or A.N.A.F.).

The branch has spent the last 25 years in its location on Ellice Avenue at Empress Street (access is actually from Empress) in a building so long it takes up almost the entire block. However, crowds have dwindled in recent years. The unit has 150 members, but only sees about 12 regulars, according to Cartman — which hasn’t been enough to keep things running at full speed.

Cartman is also manager of A.N.A.F. Club 60 at 3-433 River Ave., which has attracted a group of younger regulars in recent years — a fact due in part to the area’s demographic profile but also the fact it is a regular live music venue.

Since taking over management of the John Osborn unit, named for the Winnipeg Grenadier sergeant-major who was the first Canadian to win the Victoria Cross in the Second World War, Cartman has made a few touch-ups — such as a new paint job behind the stage and toning down the fluorescent lights. There have been a few sacrifices, too, including the club’s expansive bingo room, which will be up for rent later this month.

“It’s tough, it’s not the same as it was 25 years ago,” Cartman said. “People aren’t clamouring to get to bingo, anymore.”

Lately, to generate more of a crowd, the game plan has focused booking live punk and alternative music.

Cartman said he was inspired by Warsaw, an old ballroom inside the Polish National Home in Brooklyn, New York City, which started booking punk, hip hop, DJs and metal bands in 2001. Now it’s a staple of New York’s live music scene. Without it, the building would have been vacant, he said.

“(The concerts at John Osborn) have mostly been over the summer,” Cartman said. “Which has also been good, because summer is always slow for bars. We find that, even back in in the Village, the summer really slows down things. But we still had a decent turn out here … I had so many people saying that to me — ‘You know, if you hadn’t brought these bands in, we might as well have just closed the doors for the (season).’”

The club intends to book a large cast of different bands throughout the fall and winter season, starting with Louisiana Cockfight, a regular, Oct. 7. Upcoming acts also include a Thanksgiving dinner with Jordan McKinnon on Oct. 14, Colour by Numbers on Oct. 20, Four on the Floor on Oct. 27, a Halloween Bash with Don Waynes and English Moccasins on Oct. 28, and Holly Davidson on Nov. 3 — to name a few.

Tickets for these shows are sold at the door or in advance at the bar.

Cartman said he noticed some new faces showing up more than once over the summer.

“(Osborne was) sort of in this same spot about 10 years ago,” Cartman said. “Things were not looking well for us there, and it took about four or five years before we really noticed a consistent trend. So yeah, we’re just hoping for that here, and that we can hold out until then.”

Starting Oct. 23, bingo will be held in the main bar area every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The club is also home to Chase the Queen every Friday night and a weekly meat draw on Saturday afternoons. Groups and clubs — whether that be highland dancers or mineral enthusiasts — are also welcome to use the space as a social gathering spot, free of charge.

Memberships are currently $20, (half off the regular $40 until November), but the building is open to everyone.

John Osborn VC Unit No. 1 is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and closed on Sundays. You can find it on Facebook at facebook.com/AnavetsJohnOsborn.

The Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans in Canada was founded in 1840 and is a different entity from the Royal Canadian Legion, which was launched in 1925.