Lyndonville Lions celebrate a busy year, with projects planned for 2023

Provided photo: Some of the Lions Club members in Lyndonville recently gathered for their annual holiday dinner at the White Birch.

Press Release, Lyndonville Lions Club

LYNDONVILLE – The Lyndonville Lions Club recently held its annual holiday dinner at the White Birch Golf Course.

Members gathered for the holiday celebration and reflected back on a busy year for the club.  The early months saw the club active with its annual support of the Easter egg hunt at the Lyndonville High School and supplied free hotdogs and soft drinks to all participants.

April saw a large turnout of over 250 people for the Lions Club Eye Health Care Screening. A free eye examination, glaucoma screening, and eye glass fittings were performed. The attendees all received a pair of refurbished eye glasses care of the Lions Club.

In May, club members delivered red roses to all mothers at the nursing home in Medina and at the extended care unit at the Medina Memorial Hospital. This was conducted in conjunction with their annual red rose and carnation sale for Mother’s Day.

Photos by Tom Rivers: The White Birth Golf Course hosted a pop-up eyeglass clinic on March 19 and about 250 people filled the site not long after doors officially opened at 10 a.m. The Lyndonville Lions Club organized the first-time community eyeglass clinic in the county. Lions Club members from Medina and the Leos Club at Lyndonville Central School also assisted. A team of eye specialists – state-licensed doctors of ophthalmology and optometry – were on site to determine the correct prescription glasses for each individual.

In July, the club celebrated the return of its primary endeavor with a full July Fourth parade, a chicken barbeque, and an evening concert followed by their famous large fireworks display. The day’s activities saw Grand Marshall David Bellavia, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, return to his home town to be honored. A military fly-over was performed to honor him and all the home town heroes.

The fly-over was carried out by the 911th Air Force Reserve Unit from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The attendance for the one day celebration was calculated to be over 10,000 people.

A summer long project that will be completed in the spring of 2023 is the village park project. The “Village of Lyndonville Sunset Park” project saw the improvement of an underutilized  piece of property at the termination of route 63. The village-owned property has been transformed into a beautiful picnic and observation area thru the generous donation of man hours, cement slab pours, tree donations, and bench and table placements. The improvements have allowed the public to better use this area for various activities. The placement of a sign and flag pole should be completed this spring with a projected ribbon cutting event set for early summer.

A flyover preceded the Fourth of July parade in Lyndonville. It was carried out by the 911th Airlift Wing from Pittsburgh, Pa. The C-17 planes are used by the Air Force Reservists. The flyover was a first for Lyndonville’s July 4th festival, which has been organized annually by the Lyndonville Lions Club for about 50 years.

December brought holiday cheer and a Christmas Tree Lighting to the Lyndonville Village Park.  Nearly 100 trees were sold and decorated in various ways to start the holiday season. The Lions supported this effort which is held by the village yearly. Lions supplied hot dogs and soft drinks throughout the day to those who ventured out on a blustery Saturday to experience the tree lighting and the arrival of Santa Claus.

The club recently sent several boxes of farm fresh apples from LynOaken Farms to the Commanding Officer and participants of the July Fourth flyover. The club wanted to thank the men and women of the 911th Air Force Reserves for their efforts. LynOaken Farms donated the gift to be sent.

The club is finishing a new membership drive which has been under way since November. Efforts are also well under way to purchasing a tenotomy machine to test eye pressure and screen for glaucoma. It is expected that this instrument could be used by Lyndonville’s and other Lions Clubs for their screening events. The club is also exploring the idea of an inaugural Lyndonville Lions Club golf tournament.

For the club’s schedule and plan of events you may contact President Harold Suhr or follow us on Facebook. The club would like to thank all the individuals and businesses that have supported our efforts in 2022.