By Roger Allen
The Montezuma Lions Club has met in a lot of ferent places over its 75 years, but no complete
record exists and precise time spans are not remembered for most.
From the beginning the club has et for an evening meal meeting, held on the second and fourth Monday night of each month.
Membership is by invitation. For the first many years membership was limited to 35 because that was the seating space limitation of the cafés.
Gleaned from The Montezuma Republican articles and the fallible memory of this writer, listed below are places where the club has met, with approximate years or decades as found or recalled.
Noted in March 1948: Presbyterian Church
Noted in Nov. 1949 & June 1951: Harden’s Café
Noted in April 1952: Byers Café
Mid-1950s? to 1964 or 1965: The Monte Café (Pauline and Marcus Shearer, owners)
Later 1960s? Maid-Rite Café? Malzuma Inn followed by Dickie’s Prairie Home, both at the intersection of Hwy 63 and I-80 south of Malcom.
Other meeting places in the mix: Tom and Mary’s Restaurant – two locations – the former “Maid-Rite” building on Front St. (Hwy. 63) and in basement of the hotel on Main St.; also, Shaddy’s Steak House in the basement of the hotel; and Wanna’s in the former “Maid-Rite” building
1970s: Grandma’s Café at the sale barn (concluding in 1976) and Sale Barn Café
1980s: Methodist Church (Taken on by church ladies to pay for remodeling of church kitchen.)
1990s: Home Town Restaurant
2000s: Home Town Restaurant and The Apple Basket
2012 to present: Presbyterian Church (Taken on by church ladies to support a missionary.)
NEXT ARTICLE: Any reported clarifications and corrections needed for the above and the
article at left! Also, early service projects and a revisit to the major undertaking of putting on horse shows.