Grapeland Noon Lions Ready for Peanut Festival

(Above photo: New members, their sponsors and Lion District President Randi Wilde at the Grapeland Noon Lions meeting Thursday, Oct. 19. )

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

GRAPELAND –  The Grapeland Noon Lions Club met Thursday, Oct. 19 to make their final plans for the busy Peanut Festival weekend and to receive Lions Club District President Randi Wilde who congratulated the group on all of their community efforts and their active membership and recruitment. 

The local Lions planned their weekend carefully, given how much they have to do during the busy Peanut Festival activities Saturday, where the Lions help people get to and from the festival from the downtown parade. They will also assist at the Sunday Vulcraft-NUCOR company party. 

Wilde was the guest speaker for the lunch meeting, telling the group to keep up the good work as the Grapeland Noon Lions continue to be one of the more successful groups in the state. 

“It’s just a joy to be here and see what all your club is doing,” Wilde said. “Y’all are growing by leaps and bounds, with four new members so far this year, and I see we have more here, today.”

Wilde told the local Lions about the push for more members and more community activism around the state, noting that the Grapeland crew has already accomplished many of the goals Lions International has set for the local clubs. 

A presentation was made of the push to collect bottle caps to help kids with cancer. The local Lions are working in partnership with Lions in Mexico, who have identified an organization which recycles the old caps and turns them into chemotherapy for the children. As The Messenger has reported, several local students have begun to take part. The Lions explained the caps can be from water bottles, soda bottles, detergent bottles – even hygiene products. For more information on how your old lids can help children with cancer, contact the Grapeland Noon Lions who will be happy to accept any amount you can donate. 

The group then went over the plans for the coming festival along with plans to continue their tradition of the fish fry for veterans at the Grapeland Senior Center, now complete with new board and new energy to continue the center’s mission. 

The group finished with their traditional pledges to the American and Texas flags before the group filed out with the weekend’s busy schedule and assignments in hand. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]