Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Conrad Osthum Post 141: a veterans post, a public lounge and the town's gathering hall, in a brick opera-house block on 2nd Street since 1919.
Photos: VFW Auxiliary 141, from its public Facebook page; memorial park and street view from this site's own files.
The building's future is an open question
In summer 2025 Commander Victor E. Wolf wrote to members that it was time to consider closing the club and selling its assets, citing aging infrastructure, falling membership and changes in the bar and restaurant trade. The post had run at a loss for two years, and the roof and kitchen need work it cannot finance. A committee chaired by longtime member Lou Schmidt formed on July 22, 2025 to find another way, including state and federal grants. As of August 2026 the club was open, hosting Rose Fest events and selling tickets for its second big cash raffle.
Reported by the Kenyon Leader, Aug. 26, 2025 and Kenyon Leader, Aug. 12, 2026. Nothing here comes from the post itself.
When it is open
| Monday to Thursday, mornings | 7 to 10 a.m. |
| Monday to Saturday, evenings | 4 p.m. to close |
| Sunday | Call ahead |
The hours the post gave the Kenyon Leader for raffle ticket sales in August 2026. Google lists no hours for the club. Call 507-789-5691 before a special trip.
A century on 2nd Street
Post 141 opened in 1919, the year after the First World War ended, in a storefront on Kenyon's main street. It carries the name Conrad Osthum. Over the decades the post bought three adjoining buildings and knocked them into one club: rooms that had been a pool hall, a photography shop, a grocery, a pharmacy and an undertaker's office.
The second floor held an opera house and a Masonic hall. When the kitchen was expanded in the 1970s the fire escape came off, and the upstairs has sat unused since, original woodwork and cabinetry intact. A pane of glass outside still reads Grand Opera House. Downstairs, the charter hangs on the wall, a display holds photographs of members now gone, and model planes built by a member hang over the bar.
We want to serve the community, and we need the facility to do that.
Lou Schmidt, Post 141 member, to the Kenyon Leader
The hall has been the town's spare room for a century. The Leader's archive puts a whist tournament against the Odd Fellows there, the Rod and Gun Club's reorganization in 1951, the Class of 1940's 25th reunion, senior citizens' monthly dinners, Santa in 1975, and in 1966 a post contract to ship cigarettes to local men serving in Vietnam.
Building and post history as reported by the Kenyon Leader, Aug. 26, 2025; hall events from the Leader's archive columns.
The year at the post
Rose Fest schedule- SpringSmelt feed
The yellow sign on the front of the building announcing the date is a local sign of spring.
- August, Rose FestHog roast, music, breakfast and bingo
Friday hog roast by the Veterans Support Group and Color Guard, live music inside, Saturday grab-and-go breakfast and Bloody Mary bar, the Auxiliary's beef sandwich and pie lunch, and the Legion's family bingo.
- August, Rose FestField of Flags
The VFW Color Guard fills Veterans Memorial Park with flags for the weekend; K-W football players help set it up and are fed supper at the post.
- OctoberOktoberfest and the cash raffle
Schnitzel, a live band and the drawing of the $100-ticket raffle.
- Through the yearBlood drives, meat raffles, vendor shows, celebrations of life
The Red Cross has run its Kenyon community blood drive in the hall; families book it for birthdays and funerals.
Who uses the building
Conrad Osthum VFW Post 141
The post itself: veterans with overseas service. Chartered under the national VFW; tax-exempt as a veterans organization since 1949.
VFW Auxiliary 141
Family members of eligible veterans. Runs the Rose Fest lunch, pie sales and veterans' support projects.
Kenyon Veterans Color Guard
Flags and honors at parades, funerals and the Field of Flags.
American Legion
Kenyon's Legion post meets at the VFW. The Leader noted it would have no place to meet if the building closed.
Ways to help keep it open
- Buy a raffle ticket$100, sold at the club during open hours until the October 17, 2026 drawing.
- Eat and drink thereThe lounge is open to the public, and what is spent at the bar and kitchen stays with the post.
- Book the hallBirthdays, reunions, celebrations of life and vendor shows use the hall. Call the club manager at 507-789-5691.
- JoinVeterans with qualifying overseas service can join the post; spouses, parents, children, siblings and grandchildren of eligible veterans can join the Auxiliary.
- Bring an ideaThe committee has asked the public for alternatives and is looking at grants to restore the upstairs for weddings, dances and receptions.
The money
Full filing profileRevenue Expenses. Total revenue and expenses from each year's Form 990. On the latest return (2025) gross receipts were $223,185, the shortfall was $38,218, and the post held $82,140 in net assets with no debt. It reported 18 employees and 10 volunteers.
Details
- Full name
- Conrad Osthum VFW Post 141
- Address
- 601 2nd Street, Kenyon, MN 55946
- Phone
- 507-789-5691
- PO Box 51, Kenyon, MN 55946
- Tax status
- 501(c)(19) veterans organization, EIN 41-0654078
- VFW Auxiliary 141 on Facebook
- Profile and reviews
- Website
- None
Officers
- Commander
- Victor E. Wolf
- Senior Vice Commander
- Brian Danielson
- Junior Vice Commander
- Whitney M. Kyllo
- Quartermaster
- Ray M. Ades
- Adjutant and gambling manager
- Craig Jacobson
- Club manager
- Lori Shelstad
- Service officer
- Ricky L. Koester
- Chaplain
- Eric P. Hoversten
As listed on the post's latest Form 990.
Questions
Is the Kenyon VFW open to the public?
Yes. The lounge and the events in the hall are open to everyone; you do not need to be a member or a veteran to eat, drink or attend.
Where is the Kenyon VFW?
601 2nd Street, Kenyon, MN 55946, at the corner of 2nd Street and Forest Street downtown.
What are the hours?
In August 2026 the post listed 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to close Monday through Saturday. Call 507-789-5691 to confirm.
Is the Kenyon VFW closing?
Not as of August 2026. In 2025 the commander asked members to consider closing the club and selling the building because of losses and needed repairs. A member committee has been looking for alternatives, and the post has held two large cash raffles to raise money.
When is the VFW raffle drawing?
Saturday, October 17, 2026, after the 5 to 7 p.m. schnitzel meal at the post's Oktoberfest. Tickets are $100, 500 are sold, and the top prize is $5,000.
What is the post's full name?
Conrad Osthum VFW Post 141. It opened in 1919.
What was the building before it was the VFW?
Four joined storefronts that held a pool hall, a photography shop, a grocery, a pharmacy and an undertaker's office, with an opera house and a Masonic hall upstairs. The upstairs has been unused since the 1970s.
Can I rent the VFW hall?
The hall hosts birthdays, reunions, celebrations of life, blood drives and vendor shows. Call the club at 507-789-5691.
Who can join the VFW?
U.S. veterans and service members with honorable service who earned a campaign medal for overseas service, served in Korea for the qualifying period, or received hostile fire or imminent danger pay. Family members can join the Auxiliary.
Does the American Legion meet there?
Yes. Kenyon's American Legion post meets at the VFW and runs the family bingo night there during Rose Fest.
What does the VFW do during Rose Fest?
A Friday hog roast with live music, a Saturday grab-and-go breakfast with a Bloody Mary bar, the Auxiliary lunch, family bingo, and the Color Guard's Field of Flags at Veterans Memorial Park.
Is there a phone number?
507-789-5691.
Compiled from public sources and not confirmed by the post: Kenyon Leader reporting linked above, the post's Form 990 filings, its Google profile (September 2026) and the Rose Fest schedule. Photos of people come from the Auxiliary's own public page. This site is independent of the VFW. If you speak for Post 141 and want something changed, added or removed, email team@kenyonminnesota.com.