Marine Corps Ball, marking branch's 250th birthday, to be celebrated on new Easterseals campus

FRANKLIN — Marines from across the Granite State are invited to celebrate the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps next month, at the new Easterseals Military and Veterans campus. The Marine Corps Ball on Nov. 10 will be a night of dinner, dancing, and a ceremonial cutting of cake.

According to Robert Patenaude, commandant of Lakes Region Detachment 506 of the Department of New Hampshire Marine Corps League, celebrations around the country will all be held on Nov. 10, the proper birthdate, this year. In past years, the annual event was held on the nearest Saturday to the date, and this year it will take place on a Monday night.

“This is a big anniversary,” Patenaude said. “We always celebrate it, but this year is special.”

The Marine Corps was founded on Nov. 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, and according to the Marine Corps website, nearly 38,000 Marines are deployed around the globe each day. They are often the first on the scene, and go by the motto “Semper fidelis,” meaning “always faithful.”

Patenaude expects Marines of all ages, although he admitted most usual attendees are on the older side. He said there is a tight camaraderie between Marines, and the ball is always a fun event, where people can have dinner, talk about life, and maybe even do a little dancing. He is looking forward to getting the group of Marines together, many of whom come year after year.

“Because we are so small, it is like a brotherhood,” Patenaude said.

Patenaude, who served from 1957 to 1960, said he stays connected with his fellow Marines. He recently received a call from someone who's coming to the ball who can’t hear well, because he had a mortar round explode in his fox hole while serving.

“These are the kind of the people who come, and the stories you hear,” Patenaude said.

The Marine Corps Ball includes a meal catered by Alan’s of Boscawen, a longtime supporter of the Gary S. Dillon Detachment, which meets in Bow. Patenaude said the keynote speaker has yet to be announced, and they will hold a cake-cutting ceremony where the youngest Marine in attendance receives a slice from the oldest.

Each year, there is either an orchestra, band or DJ which provides music for the event, and Patenaude is hoping some couples will get out on the dance floor.

Marines from all over the state are invited to take part in the monumental anniversary, and members of the Marine Corps League can bring a guest, free of charge. Thanks to a partnership with the state Racing and Charitable Gaming Division and Revo Casino and Social House in Lebanon, non-member Marines will also be able to attend the event for free after a returned deposit, but their guests will be charged admission.

Patenaude said state law requires gaming establishments to give 35% of their earnings to nonprofit organizations. Part of the revenue from the casino from July 20-29 will be distributed to the Marine Corps League to fund the birthday celebration and offer free admission to all Marines.

Allen Aldenberg, chief military and veterans service officer for Easterseals NH, oversees operations at the Military and Veterans Campus, which opened in September. He said Sales Manager Nick Grant — also a veteran — made the connection with the casino, and has been working with the Marine Corps Detachment throughout the process.

The campus, the first of its kind in New Hampshire, provides affordable housing, services, outdoor recreation areas, conference rooms, and onsite hotel rooms, available for reservations Nov. 9-10.

It is the first major event on the campus since its grand opening last month.

“We are very excited for this,” Aldenberg said. “This is exactly what we should be doing with partnerships. These are the types of organizations we want to work with. The bar has been set high, and we will deliver.”

Aldenberg is a brigadier general in the NH Army National Guard with 30 years of military experience, as well as a former police chief of Manchester. He joked that even though he's an Army guy, he’s proud to be hosting such an important event for the Marine Corps.

“To be in the room with more than 100 Marines from multiple generations will be humbling and very American,” Aldenberg said. “I just have to keep those Marines under control, but they tend to police their own. We’re fortunate they chose us, and I couldn’t be more proud to host them.”

The Marine Corps Ball will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Military and Veterans Campus, located at 27 Holy Cross Road.

For more information, including registration and lodging options, log onto nhmarines.org/marine-corps-250th-birthday-ball.