Lions’ good deeds powered by BBQ chicken!

By Roger Allen

An anchor event of the annual Independence Day/Let Freedom Ring celebration in Montezuma is the Montezuma Lions Club’s chicken barbecue dinner. The dinner has a longstanding history of providing a tasty feast and a social good time. It is also a key event for funding the Lions’ many community service projects and contributions, some of which are noted below.

The dinner will include the club’s famously-flavored barbecued half-chicken along with baked beans and coleslaw, a roll, iced tea and lemonade. The meal will be served inside the air-conditioned Memorial Hall. Serving is scheduled to begin at approximately 11 a.m. following the conclusion of the celebration parade, and continue until about 1 p.m. – or until approximately 880 chicken dinners have been dispensed.

A meal ticket is $12.00 at the door on July 1 or in advance from Lions club members.

Two Serving Lines Inside

Last year the Lions made a change that reduced congestion and speeded up the time it takes for customers to receive meals, and it is being further refined this year. Instead of the entrance being the Memorial Hall front doors, those will instead be the exit doors. Customers will enter the hall at the northeast side door of the hall. Once inside, Lions will have two serving lines. All meals will be served in carryout containers, but there will be tables and seating available for dining inside.

As part of the fundraiser, tickets will be available for a drawing later this year for $100 worth of groceries from Montezuma Super Valu.

Montezuma Lions members Kevin Rempp, Dean Tesselink and Dick Gregory add seasoning prior to last year’s chicken BBQ event. (Roger Allen photo).

Eddie Pierson is this year’s chairman. Preparation of the dinner is a major undertaking for the Lions and all members are counted on to assist. Family members provide help as well. Lions will be doing set up work Friday afternoon, June 30, beginning at 4 p.m.

The public is encouraged to bring used hearing aids and used eyeglasses to the dinner (or give to a Lions member at any time of the year). All types of hearing aids are welcomed. Some are retrofitted and others have recycle value that helps fund the program of providing free aids to persons in Iowa who need them but cannot afford them. Used eyeglasses are processed by Lions across the state and are then re-issued by volunteers to persons in the poorest parts of the world. Donors of eyeglasses are asked to bring only the glasses; cases are not desired because of the weight and volume they add to shipping costs.

Lions BBQ Task Assignments

Lions assigned to cook chickens – beginning at 3 a.m. – include Lead, William Gregory, and: Bill Schultz, Paul Sneller, Gary Thompson, Pat Montag, Dick Gregory, Roger Iverson, Kyle Cook, Marvin Ferneau, Dean Teeselink, Jerome Sheets (baked beans) and Jim Nagle, plus non-Lions volunteers.

Food Services and Clean Up: Lead, Linda Boeding; Mike Mahaffey, Gordon Alexander, Doug Ver Meer, Boyd Sparks, Mike Princer, Linda Neels, Bob Hamilton, Rick Talbert, Kathy Cox, Bud Norman, Ted Morelock, Bill Bolen and Jacki Bolen.

Ticket Sales and Collection: Lead, Chuck Boeding; Roger Allen, Larry Weeks, Ron Hensel and Roger Cox.

Recent Donations

Club members continue to volunteer in the transport of cornea tissue, covering the relay from Grinnell to the Iowa Lions Eye Bank in Coralville. Recent financial donations include $500 was made to the Montezuma Food Pantry. Two $200 scholarships were given to graduating seniors. $200 was donated to the Montezuma Shooting Sports program. $300 supported After Prom. Camp Hertko Hollow, a camp for children with diabetes, was given $200; the Lions-week camp at Camp Courageous for persons with visual and other disabilities was sent $100, and Leader Dogs for the Blind received $200. New flags are purchased as needed for Wayside Park, which is mowed and maintained by the Lions, supported in part by the Montezuma Mothers’ Club.

A donation of $1,600 was recently made to the Iowa Lions Foundation and $1,000 to the Lions Clubs International Foundation. Entities funded by the state foundation include the Iowa Lions Eye Bank, Iowa KidSight vision screening, and the Lions Hearing Aid program. The International foundation provides emergency relief at the time of disasters, including storms and floods in Iowa and relief for families uprooted by the war in Ukraine.

Club Officers Beginning July 1

Heading up the club’s officers for the Lions year that begins July 1 will be Boyd Sparks, president; Jerome Sheets and Doug Ver Meer, 1st and 2nd vice-president; Roger Allen, secretary; Mike Princer, treasurer; Bill Schultz, tail twister; and Ted Morelock, song leader. In addition there is a slate of directors. The club currently has 34 members.

Montezuma Lions Club is always interested in gaining new members; if interested, communicate that to a member while you are enjoying your barbecued chicken dinner on Saturday.