105th Annual Department of Michigan Convention
The American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Michigan Annual Convention will be held June 25th – 28th, 2026, in Battle Creek at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. This document will help to provide the information you need to know to make your convention experience as complete and pleasant as possible.
PRIOR TO ARRIVAL: The Certification of Unit Delegates to attend the 2026 Department Convention Form MUST be completed and sent with payment (not cash) to the ALA Department of Michigan in Lansing by the June 10th deadline. Please note that Unit Delegate Forms and payment WILL NOT be accepted on-site. An email confirmation will be sent to one member from each Unit who registered. That member should give each Delegate a copy to present at the Credentials Desk when getting their credentials.
If you are a Delegate-at-Large (Department Officer, District President, Past Department President, Department Standing Committee Chairman or Committee Member, Hospital/Home Representative or 1st Deputy) please complete that Delegate-at-Large form and send with payment (not cash) to the ALA Department of Michigan in Lansing. You will receive a copy of your credential via email once the information is entered and credential created.
If you are bringing either Unit or District flags for the Thursday Opening Ceremony Processional, please complete the flag form and send it to the ALA Department of Michigan in Lansing by June 10, 2026. Units and Districts will NOT be bringing their US Flags to Convention this year due to space limitations in the Convention Hall.
If you wish to order flowers for the Opening Ceremony and/or Installation of Officers, please complete the Flower Order Form and send it with payment to Debra Bouffard at the address on the form. This form must be received by June 15, 2026. Flowers will be available for pickup at announced times in the Board Room.
All of these forms are available on the Department website www.michalaux.org.
Please remember that every District must elect either a TELLER or an INSPECTOR at their last meeting prior to Convention. If your District has an announced candidate for office for the 2026-2027 year, you will elect an INSPECTOR. If your District does not have an announced candidate, you will elect a TELLER. If a member is nominated and runs from the floor at Convention, the TELLER from that District then becomes an INSPECTOR. (Tellers are allowed to touch the ballots; Inspectors are not.)
On the same form as discussed above, you will notify Department headquarters of your newly elected District President and Vice President. There is also space to notify Leadership of the delegates you have elected to attend the upcoming National Convention.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE:
Convention registration will be in the lobby beginning on Wednesday, June 24 from 3:00pm to 6:00 pm, then 8:00am to 5:00pm Thursday and Friday, and 8:00am to 10:00am on Saturday (you must have your Convention badge from the Convention Corporation to obtain your Credentials, so stop there first).
Proceed to the Credentials Desk outside Novus 1 Ballroom to check in and get your Credentials (ribbon) which are required to be worn during Convention meetings. The Credentials desk will close Saturday morning at 8:30am. You must present your credential confirmation that you received by email prior to coming to Convention. There will be no on-site registration for Delegates.
If you are bringing a Unit or District flag, the Flag registration begins Thursday morning at 11:am in the Board Room on the first floor. Flags must be removed at the conclusion of the Saturday session.
If you are bringing a Book of Prayer, a History Book, or a Scrapbook, or Poppy displays for judging, please check those in on Thursday by 3:00pm in Novus 1 Ballroom. These items must be checked out at the conclusion of the Saturday session. (Please keep in mind that the DEC Meeting will begin at 10:00am in that same room and should be done by 12:00pm. Check-in will not be available while the DEC is in session.)
The Final Department Executive Committee Meeting of the 2025-2026 year will be held Thursday, June 25th at 10:00am in Novus 1 Ballroom. Please remember that ALL members are invited to attend.
There will once again be a pole decorating contest. Poles are to be decorated in a patriotic theme. The poles may be decorated after the Opening Ceremony, Thursday evening, and must be completed prior to the start of the Friday morning session at 9:00am. No decorations may be attached to the District sign on the poles. All decorations must be removed at the conclusion of the Saturday session.
There will be a luncheon for Chairpersons (incoming and outgoing), Past Department Presidents and Officers on Thursday, June 25th at 12:30 pm in the Kellogg Arena. Invitations will be sent prior to Convention with a request to RSVP so there is a head count for the caterer.
Flag Rehearsal will be held in Novus 1 Ballroom at 3:00pm. All District Presidents and District/Unit Flagbearers must attend. The dress code for Flagbearers for the Opening Ceremony this year is white tops, navy skirts/slacks and nice white shoes as requested by our Department President Dawn Gramza.
The Resolutions Committee Meeting will be held at 3:45pm on Thursday, June 25th in Novus 1 Ballroom. All Auxiliary members are welcome to attend; District Presidents or their Alternates MUST attend.
The Official Opening of the 2026 Convention will be held at 6:30pm on Thursday, June 25th. Line-up for the Processional will be at 6:00pm outside the Convention Hall.
An overview of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday schedules will be included in the Convention program book. There will be a document listing the specific and tentatively timed order of activities available at a table as you enter the Hall.
Please remember that all attendees must be registered with the Convention Corporation. The registration form can be found on both www.michiganlegion.org and www.michalaux.org. The fee for registration is $25.00 and is sent to the Convention Corporation. If you are attending as an elected Delegate or Delegate-at-Large, there is an additional $10.00 fee. That fee is paid and sent to the ALA Department of Michigan with the corresponding forms by the June 10th deadline.
Dress code for Convention will be business casual. Please no jeans or shorts. Dress code for District Presidents on Sunday for the Memorial Service will be all white – either a white dress, or white top and skirt/slacks, and white shoes. District Presidents will remain in white for the Sunday morning Convention session.
While at Convention, you may sign for and pick up YOUR Unit’s 2026-2027 Membership Packet beginning Friday, June 26 in the Hall. The packets will not be available while in session. Please pick them up before session, during breaks or when our business session has been completed. Those packets that have not been picked up at the Department Convention will be taken back to Department Headquarters and mailed out from there to your remit to person on file. (This is another advantage to coming to Convention besides having a voice in deciding some Department decisions.) Renewal memberships for the 2026-2027 administrative year may start to be entered into ALAMIS or a transmittal sent to Department Headquarters (however you pay membership in your Unit) in July. The exact date is yet to be determined and announced by National. Your first payment/transmittal should include your Unit Officers and any Honorary Life Members that your Unit pays annually.
Members will sit in their assigned District seating on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the exception of the Officers on the dais, the Past Department Presidents will sit in the first three rows of the left-hand side of the Convention Hall Thursday evening, and the Department Chairmen will sit in the first three rows of the right-hand side of the Convention Hall. Sunday is open seating with the exception of the first three rows on both sides.
Committee reports will be given on Friday along with any recommendations and awards. Any reports not given on Friday will be given on Saturday. You can refer to the document listing the specific and tentatively timed order of activities previously mentioned above.
Nomination of Officers for 2026-2027 will be held during the Friday afternoon session. he Tellers/Inspectors will meet on Friday evening at 7:00pm in the Convention Hall. The Memorial Service Rehearsal will take place Friday evening at 7:00pm in Ballrooms 2 and 3. District Presidents must attend this rehearsal.
Saturday morning you will go through the Receiving Line to enter the Convention Hall. The Candidates for Office will be lined up beginning at 7:45am so you can greet them before the elections begin. Once the meeting is called to order and attendance taken, the Credentials Chairman will give the final report. At that point, the doors will be monitored. Members may leave the Convention Hall, but no one may return until the entire election process has been completed (election of Officers, District Presidents/Alternates, and National Convention Delegates/Alternates) except for the Election Committee, the Department President and newly elected President for 2026-2027 due to possible Legion family obligations. Please be respectful of the process so that the business at hand can be conducted in the most efficient way possible and take the least amount of time.
If time permits, your newly elected Department President will lead a training event and provide information on Saturday from 1:00pm-2:00pm for new District Presidents and Vice Presidents. The location is to be determined at this time. More information will be supplied as necessary.
The traditional Yooper Party will be held from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at Post 257. More details to be provided as they become available. Shuttle buses will be available from 3:30pm to 7:30pm.
Saturday evening from 6:00pm-7:30pm there will be a Meet & Greet of the newly elected Auxiliary Officers for the 2026-2027 year. Any Legion Family member may attend. The specific location will be provided as they are known.
Sunday morning the lineup for the Memorial Service begins at 7:30am. The Service begins at 8:00am. All Legion Family members are welcome to attend.
The Department Convention will be reconvened at 10:00am. The 2025-2026 District Presidents will be introduced and their reports provided. Any unfinished business will then be conducted. The Installation Ceremony will begin after a short break. At the conclusion of the Installation, the Convention will be adjourned.
Following the closure of Convention, a meeting of the Delegates and Alternates to National Convention will be held. Following that meeting, the First DEC Meeting of the 2026-2027 year will be held. All new District Presidents should attend this DEC Meeting. The newly installed President will ask for ratification of her appointments. As with any DEC Meeting (unless a closed session) all members are welcome to attend.
Once those two meetings have concluded, there will be no further business to conduct. We wish you safe travels home and a successful 2026-2027 Auxiliary year.