The Crestline Lions Club won first place in the Jamboree Days parade for their float representing the ways the club represented the “Mountain Strong” theme.

The first-place trophy, won by the Crestline Lions club for their Jamboree Days parade float entry, is held by Past President Libby Hayes.

Lions Past District Governor Phil Burch welcomed new Lions member Phil Conway and club President Catherine Johnson.  

By RHEA-FRANCES TETLEY
Staff Writer

The Crestline Lions Club reflected on its accomplishments of last year under President Libby Hayes and began to look forward to their upcoming year of scheduled projects at their July meeting held at Leisure Shores on the east end of Lake Gregory.
With 2023-24 club president Catherine Johnson presiding, they heard a presentation from longtime mountain physician Dr. John Buehler and his wife, Billie, on the healing offerings for pain, inflammation and cleansings from toxins from their office at VitaNova at Five Points in Twin Peaks. They also offer whole body vibration treatments to increase circulation through a cardio workout which improves muscle tone and assists in weight loss, plus they offer many other specialized services at their offices.
The Lions Club never does anything halfway; for Jamboree Days they were in charge of the Firecracker Fund collection cans, collecting the donations once or twice a week, depending on the locations. Hayes reported these donations brought in over $1,000 from spare change for the free fireworks show, which was shot off over Lake Gregory on July 1.
During Jamboree Days, the Lions Club float was presented the Arthur Gregory trophy for the best float from a nonprofit organization. They were quite excited, since this is the first time the Crestline Lions Club has won the first-place trophy since the original Crestline Lions Club was chartered in 1939. They thanked Dennis Labadie Jr. for the vision for the float and for working on it. The theme was “Where there’s a need, there’s a Lion.” It highlighted many of the service actions the club did during the blizzard, from clearing around fire hydrants to donations of snow shovels, coats, hats and boots plus donations and delivery of food and digging out others, illustrating their motto, “We Serve.” They have decided to pay him (as he jokingly suggested) in cookies, so several members volunteered to bake some homemade cookies for him.
The Lions Club will be involved, as they have been all summer, in the next two Corks & Hops events with the Crestline Chamber of Commerce operating the water stations in Top Town and at the credit union parking lot.
One of their Lioness charter members and a charter member of the Lions Club, Marilynn Jordan, who had to be emergency evacuated during the snow storm, can no longer live on the mountain due to medical problems resulting from the storm. She asked for her membership to be put on hiatus, making her an associate member due to her health, which everyone was sad to hear.
Some of their other community activities in the next couple of weeks include the giveaway of school supplies and some backpacks at back-to-school night at VOE Elementary School from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the playground, under an easy-up, on Aug. 9.
The Lions Club will be having a fund-raising yard sale in Top Town Crestline in the vacant lot next to the location for the Sunday farmers market from Aug. 31 through Sept. 3, during Labor Day Weekend. This is one of the ways they raise funds to donate to the community and support community programs.
Past District Governor Phil Barch came to the meeting and inducted new Lions Club member Phil Conway into the club. The past district governor attends several meetings and events of the Crestline Lions Club each year, he says, because he likes it so much up here on the mountain and the enthusiasm and friendliness of the members.
Some of the donations the club has made this last month included those made to Special Olympics and to the America Cancer Association to purchase school supplies for the backpack giveaway at VOE school and a pair of eyeglasses for a local person, through the Lions Eye Care fund.
The Crestline Lions Club meets at the Leisure Shores Senior Center for dinner at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of each month. For more information on the Crestline Lions Club, contact President Catherine Johnson at (909) 338-5758 for an invitation to their next meeting.