‘Not an old man’s club anymore’

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The year was 1953. Dwight D. Eisenhower was sworn in as the 34th president. Lucille Ball revolutionized television with her emerging comedic TV show I Love Lucy. Nikita Khrushchev won a power struggle in the Soviet Union after the death of Josef Stalin. Sir Edmund Hillary led the first expedition to reach the summit of Mount Everest and the first color television sets appeared, selling for $1,175 (a measly $13,200 in today’s money).

Closer to home, 1953 also saw the introduction of a philanthropic club that has served as a guiding light for Sandpoint for 70 years. A brief news article in the July 2, 1953 edition of Sandpoint News-Bulletin announced that “Local men organize Lions International,” introducing the club to the community. More than 300 people turned out to the charter ceremony, where Lester Brown was elected as the Sandpoint club’s first president, and Charles Stidwell elected vice president.

“Lions International is composed of business men and farmers,” the article explained. “Members are interested in charitable work and sponsor many youth activities.”

While there was a first Lions Club in Sandpoint during the 1940s, it had been phased out and disbanded by the time the current club received its charter in 1953.

In the 70 years that have passed, quite a lot has changed, but the Lions’ simple mission to give back to their community remains as strong as ever.

This year, current President Janice Rader told the Reader the Lions Club is taking a bold new step forward to rebrand and renew the club to appeal to the next generation of stewards and members who will keep its mission alive.

“This isn’t an old man’s club anymore,” Rader said. “We’ve revamped everything and the Lions Den has a fresh new look. We’re not the group of old timers anymore — we’re looking for new volunteers and members to join the club.”

Rader said that after many of the “elder” Lions resigned in recent years, the club is eager to tap into the younger community members who want to further the Lions’ mission to help the community thanks to a variety of annual programs it offers.

Among the many programs the Lions offer for the community is the wildly popular Toys For Tots fundraiser, which Rader said helped more than 800 Bonner County children last year alone.

“Since the COVID pandemic began, the holiday season has become a hardship for many families,” the Lions wrote in a letter to the editor recently. “We are proud of our ability to provide help to those in need and we cannot contribute to the prosperity of our community without your generous donations, especially the volunteer time.”

Along with Toys For Tots, the Lions sponsor an annual Easter egg hunt, a sight and hearing program providing eyeglasses and hearing aids for the community and an annual Halloween haunted house. They provide books to local daycare centers, support the Canine Companions for Independence program, which trains service dogs and last but not least, they’ve put their stamp on the annual Independence Day parade and fireworks display for decades.

As part of their campaign to refresh the club, Rader said the Lions are hosting monthly bingo nights, often donating proceeds to worthy causes. Their most recent event, hosted on Valentine’s Day, benefited the Childhood Cancer Foundation.

The next bingo night will take place on Friday, March 17 at the Sandpoint Community Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and bingo begins at 6 p.m. The cost is only $1 per card and there will be a raffle available, as well as the famous hand-dipped corn dogs the Lions sold at the Fair last year.

Rader said a combination of factors have recently made it clear the Lions need more support.

“Our permit costs from the city are going up,” she said. “Just to get a permit for our Easter Egg Hunt now costs $400. Just to rent the park.”

Beyond economics, politics have also been a challenge. The kerfuffle over the COVID-era Fourth of July festivities caused some level of distress for the Lions. After the club decided to forego its traditional events in 2020 on concerns about the spread of COVID-19, a local group calling itself Sandpoint Independence Day, Inc. formed with the mission to “save” the Fourth of July. Shortly after the replacement event, the rival group SID applied for a permit to repeat the events in 2021, effectively attempting to wrest away the event from the Lions. SID was led by Ron Korn, Steve Wasylko and Todd Prather — all well-known local conservative activists. Korn also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Bonner County Commissioner in 2022. 

In 2021, Sandpoint City Councilors Joel Aispuro, John Darling and Andy Groat all spoke in complementary tones in favor of allowing SID to handle the Fourth of July event over the Lions, which would have ended the Lions’ 68-year history with the event in Sandpoint.

“I wouldn’t want the Lions Club to do the fireworks,” Groat said at the time, referring to the 2020 display when SID took over. “You guys did a great job. … I want you to do another great job … You guys are hittin’ home runs.”

Aispuro also defended SID, claiming that the new group had a “better event” and had their “stuff together” more than the Lions.

“No offense,” to the Lions, Aispuro said, but, “last year was a better event in my opinion; getting the citizens involved.”

Aispuro continued that he’s “not into” the idea of “traditionally, historically” when it comes to community events.

Wasylko and Korn claimed at the 2021 Sandpoint City Council meeting that they were told the Lions wanted to give up the parade and fireworks events, but former Lions president Howard Shay told the Reader, “We never said we weren’t going to pick it back up.”

The City Council ultimately voted in favor of allowing the Lions to continue hosting the important community event.

A huge part of the Lions’ fundraising efforts are the Independence Day Raffle, which Rader said will kick off sales during Lost in the ’50s this year.

“Last year, because of poor weather, we barely broke even with the raffle,” Rader said. “This year, it’s going to be a big one. Sandpoint Motorsports will be donating a special prize. We hope everyone buys a ticket.”

Also in 2023, the Lions will offer numerous food vendors at City Beach during the festivities on the Fourth of July, hopefully providing more of a draw for people to hang out in the daytime after the parade and before the fireworks.

In the meantime, the Lions are actively searching for new volunteers and members to continue moving forward with the club. For those unable to donate their time, the Lions Club appreciates any donations it receives from the community, which are tax deductible.

“We’re growing so positively,” Rader said. “Things are starting to bud and bring joy to this community, which is what we’re all about. We invite anyone to come into a meeting and check out what the Lions Club is all about.”

The Lions meet every second and fourth Monday each month at the Lions Den by the Bonner County History Museum at Lakeview Park.

“We’re in it to help,” Rader said. “We want to make this community a better place.”