FAIRVIEW, Ala. – The Fairview Lions Club on Monday held a scaled-back version of its annual Labor Day Extravaganza at Randall Shedd Community Park, opting out of its regular parade and attractions like bouncy houses, and going with a car show, socially-distanced craft vendors and club-staffed cookout. Though small by the event’s usual standards, coordinators saw a good number of cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles turn out for an event they hoped would give the COVID-restricted community a hint of normal fun and a reminder that the Lions are still going strong.
Fairview Lions Club Vice President Barbara Long said, “We’ve got a good turnout, but we’d have liked to had more.”
“We really haven’t been able to have any events since the early part of the year, because of all this COVID-19. We’re hanging in there, just like everybody else is,” President William Criscoe said. “So far, we haven’t had a big demand for (eye)glasses (one of the Lions organization’s major community services), but with school just starting back, that’s something we see in the near future that we’ll need to be helping with. Some of the other people that we’ve helped through the year with backpack programs and stuff, all that stuff got canceled, too. So there’s still needs out there, and we’re just trying to adapt to the situation, to be able to help where we can. This is one outlet that we can raise money to help.”
Look for more coming up!
Said Criscoe, “We’re planning a movie night here in the park in mid-October. It doesn’t raise a lot of money, but it gives people a chance to get out, and they can still social distance here in the park, see a movie and enjoy being out with the family. I’m still hoping that we’ll be able to have our Christmas parade here in December, so, hopefully, things will ease over some by then.
“One reason we wanted to try to continue to have this today is we want everybody to know in the community that we’re still here and we’re still trying. It’s trying times for everybody. This is our home and our community; we want to support it that best we can, and neighboring communities, too, that doesn’t have a Lions Club. We want to try to present something for the public, an outreach, and to be able to help people through that.”
For more on the Fairview Lions Club, visit www.facebook.com/fairview.lionsclub.
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